


Ghosts That We Knew

by wildwinterwitch



Series: Meetings [7]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Single Father (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-20
Updated: 2014-02-14
Packaged: 2017-12-27 03:37:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 67,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/973848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildwinterwitch/pseuds/wildwinterwitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When your stepmother is sort of an alien and deals with other, real, aliens for a living, the excitement never dies down. As Dave, Rose and the children try to build life as a family, the past gets in the way of present developments and the future seems to be going to be quite different from what everyone imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title is taken from the eponymous song by Mumford & Sons.
> 
> Set after _I Met a Traveller._

Part One

  
_Oh, they gave me such a fright_

_But I will hold on with all of my might_

_Just promise me we'll be alright_

_– Ghosts That We Knew_ , Mumford & Sons

One

“I’ve put some things on the bed for you,” Dave said as he skipped down the stairs past her in a rush, as always, to get things organised before the family left the house on Hillingdon Drive for a trip. Rose smiled softly as she flattened herself against the starry wallpaper to let him pass.

“Okay.”

She went to his — their — bedroom and inspected the things he’d laid out on the chocolate covers. There were a few items of underwear, hair clips and a blister pack of pills. She didn’t recognise the latter so she picked it up to inspect it. It was the pill, within the expiry date, but the cycle had been interrupted on a Tuesday. Now it was Friday night. Shaking her head, she put them back on the bed, on Dave’s side.

“What are you doing?” he asked. She hadn’t heard him return.

“They aren’t mine,” she said, showing him the blister pack.

“You… you’re not on the pill?”

“No. Torchwood provide me with a different kind of protection,” she said. “Maybe they’re… Rita’s.”

His jaw went slack for a few moments as he processed the idea and reached out for the blister pack to pick it up. “Aye, must be,” he said, smiling. “I really ought to… take care of her things.”

“When you’re ready, my love,” she said. She could imagine that clearing out a beloved’s things wasn’t easy, and she’d encouraged him to take his time. She’d get by with the space he’d made available for her already. Besides, she still had her own place, and she tried to spend as much time here as she did at hers, particularly when she was working a case for Torchwood.

Dave opened the drawer in his bedside table and popped the pills inside, then produced a small, shiny dildo with a floral pattern painted on it. Rose’s eyes went wide. He’d never mentioned toys before, so him bringing this out now, when any of the children might pop in at any moment, was rather unexpected.

“I didn’t want to leave this lying around, in the open,” he said softly, running his thumb along its length.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“You should have… told me you wanted to… or that… you know,” he blushed furiously. “You want. More.”

“What?” she guffawed.

He stared at her.

Oh. He thought this was _hers_. He hadn’t got it as a surprise. Of course not. He’d have found a better place and time to show her. “It’s not mine, Dave.”

“What?” he squeaked. His expression changed comically from surprise to horror. He relaxed his fingers and the dildo rolled over their tips and dropped to the floor, where it broke in several pieces.

“Porcelain?” she muttered, going down on her knees to collect the shards. They wouldn’t be able to repair it. She looked up at him, her hands full of the white shards. “Might it be Rita’s?” she asked.

He crouched down beside her. “If it is, I…”

Her heart clenched. He hadn’t known about it. “Dave.”

There was a perfunctory knock on the open door, and Lucy came in. “Dad?”

Her gaze fell immediately on the shards in Rose’s hand and the one piece her father was holding. It had a bit of the turquoise swirly pattern on it. Lucy gasped and blushed furiously.

“Lucy?” Dave asked, rising.

She looked at him in abject horror. Tears welled up in her eyes and she turned around on the spot and fled.

Rose stood and plucked the shard from between his fingers. It was obvious from the girl’s reaction that she knew exactly whose dildo it was. “It’s not Rita’s,” she said softly, adding the shard to the rest of them in her palm.

“What?” Dave turned to look at her, still stunned by Lucy’s reaction.

“It’s hers, Dave,” she said.

“What?” he repeated.

“She wouldn’t have reacted like this if she didn’t know what these were,” Rose said, holding her palm up. The tip of the dildo had broken into two, so the former object had become unrecognisable to anyone who didn’t know what it had been.

Dave blinked. “She’s only fifteen!”

Rose made a face at him.

He took a deep breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. It was obviously hard for him to find the right words. Rose deposited the remnants of the dildo in the bin and took his hand to pull him to sit beside her on the bed. Eventually, Dave took a shuddering breath. “I’m so scared, Rose.” He looked at her. “Suddenly, Lucy isn’t my little girl any more. And I made so many mistakes with Tanya.”

“You did what you could,” she said, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.

“I should have done more. Tanya was Lucy’s age when she had Sam. Not that that’s going to be an issue. For a while.”

Rose took a deep breath. She didn’t think that Lucy was just going through phase with Lily, although no one could be sure, not even Lucy. “She’s finding out who she is, and all she’s got is you,” Rose said.

“That’s encouraging,” Dave scoffed. 

“When I was Lucy’s age, nearly sixteen, I had a pregnancy scare,” Rose said.

Dave stared at her.

“I knew about the dangers of unprotected sex, but what I didn’t know was how to get protection and how to ask Jimmy to use a condom. I was so glad he’d want me at all. I’m not protecting him. It’s just… how it was,” Rose said. “I didn’t dare ask Mum for condoms, and even if I had, Jimmy wouldn’t have used them.”

“That’s not particularly encouraging either. But I see where you're coming from. I’m getting old, aren’t I? It’s been so long, I can’t remember what I was like as a horny teenager,” he said.

“And that’s what you’re scared of.”

“That, and that she’ll reject me and call me a control freak. It hurt, Rose. All I want is for her to be safe and happy. And now… this.” He gestured in the general direction of the bin.

“I wish I could help you there.”

“Would you… you know, talk to her if she doesn’t feel comfortable talking about these things with me?”

“Of course I will,” Rose said, leaning in for a kiss. “It might not be easy for her either, knowing that her Dad has an active love life.”

Dave blushed furiously again. “So what do we do?”

“You go and buy her a replacement. How did you find it anyway?”

“I didn’t,” he said, his cheeks burning again. “The folks at the cleaners found it in the sheets. At least they thought it was, well, mine.”

Rose smiled. “See?”

“Where do I buy such a thing?”

Rose burst out laughing. “Seriously?”

“I’ve never…”

“Oh. Right. Well, online is an option if you’re shy, or we could go together.”

“Online,” he replied at once.

She smiled and kissed him. “Probably the better option.” She bit her tongue as it occurred to her that she’d like to explore such a shop with him and see if they could find something that would tickle them both. Not that they needed it.

“Where did she get that thing in the first place?” he wondered.

“I’m sure the girls have their sources. Let’s not embarrass them any further, yeah?” Rose suggested.

He seemed to recall what she’d told him about not knowing, at that age, how to come by certain things, particularly when there was a clear legal age limit involved.

“Thanks, Rose.”

While they finished packing for their trip to London, Rose kept a close eye on Dave and Lucy when they were in the same room. Dave behaved more naturally the more time passed, but Lucy was sullen and looked at both her father and Rose with glares that could kill. In a quiet minute as they were getting tea ready, Rose said casually, “It was an accident.”

“What was?” Lucy challenged her.

“With your toy. It must have got tangled in the sheets as you stripped them off your bed. The people at the cleaner’s returned it to your father. He thought it was mine, if that’s any consolation,” Rose said.

“Oh.”

“I told him it’s not.”

“Rose!” Lucy went from mollified to ballistic within a heartbeat.

“He’s worried about you, sweetheart. And just as embarrassed as you are. Don’t be mad at him, yeah? It’s my fault too, and I’m sorry,” Rose said, tearing open a box of spaghetti and dumping them into the boiling water.

“Worried?”

“It’s his job.”

“Does that mean that you’re not?”

“I am too, but I’m not your Mum. You might find it easier to discuss things with me. Or not. The important thing is, lucy, find an adult you can truly trust. Ask them. And don’t be afraid to say no when it’s necessary. Not that it’d be an issue with Lily.”

“Rose!” Lucy cried, her face taking on a lovely shade of red.

“Yes. Sorry. It had to be said, and I’m going to shut up now.” Rose picked a wooden spoon out of the container by the hob and stirred the spaghetti so that they slid into the pot completely.

“It’s just… Thanks, Rose. You’re the best,” Lucy said.

The wee ones came in just then, smelling the food, and they did their assigned chores to get the table ready for dinner. They were very excited about their trip to London the next day. They’d all gotten a day off school to accompany Lucy and Lily to a concert the school’s orchestra were going to play in the capital. Jackie had invited them all to stay at the Tyler Mansion over Samhain. Naturally, the wee ones, including Tony, were beyond excited about the idea of spending time in a grand old house full of children on the scariest night of the year. Lucy, Lily and Dave, however, found the idea of meeting the formidable Tyler couple intimidating.

The topic came up during dinner, of course. At least, Rose noticed, Lucy started to behave more warmly in her father's presence. Hopefully, they’d both learn to open up over this, even though it was awkward right now. Dave had told her that he’d found what he’d been looking for, kissing her a bit longer in front of the children than he was wont to. Evie had giggled, and the boys had resumed their conversation as if nothing had happened.

“She’s just my Mum,” Rose said, sighing as she refilled her salad bowl.

“Aye, but… She still is Jackie Tyler!” Lucy said.

Dave nodded.

“And I am Rose Tyler.”

“Yeah, but you’re… Rose. Our Rose. Isn’t she, Dad?” Ewan piped in.

Rose rolled her eyes.

“I’m sure that when we stay at Mrs Tyler’s house, she’ll just be Rose’s Mum. A Mum, not a famous person. Rose is just Rose when she’s with us too, after all, isnae she?” Dave said.

“What about her father?” Evie asked.

“Rose has a little brother. They know how to be a Mum and Dad,” Dave said.

“Is it hard, being a Mum and Dad?” Evie asked.

Dave exhaled. “It can be, but it’s the best job of the world.”

“Better than taking photos?”

“Definitely.”

“Speaking of which,” Rose said, putting down her napkin. “Have you decided which photos to send to the Royal Academy?” She hated the idea that he hadn’t yet sent his portfolio off. The deadline was Monday, and she dearly hoped that he’d not wait until the eleventh hour.

“Aye,” Dave said, sighing. “I’d like to show them to you later so I can post them tomorrow.”

Rose, like the children, couldn’t wait to see which photos he had chosen. She knew that there wouldn’t be any from the truly personal part of the _Emptiness Folder_ , but he had changed his opinion about the presentable pictures several times.

“Yay!” Ewan cried, ready to jump up.

“After dessert, aye?” Dave said firmly.

“Okay.”

Rose smiled in amusement. There weren’t many things for which Ewan was ready to skip dessert.

After they’d cleared the table, Dave brought the folder and spread the ten photos for everyone to see. Taking a deep breath, he stepped back to make room for the children who climbed to kneel on the chairs for a better vantage point. Rose noticed that he had returned to one of his earlier sets of photos. It included their mirror portraits and the texture of their hair on the scuffed floorboards. There was also a shot Dave in the bathtub, his knees and mask-covered face the only visible parts of his body. Her shot of Tony’s toys had made it into the folder, beautifully edited by Dave. He had taken the remaining four photos without her, all of them of the abandoned house. He’d draped her robe over the foot of the twisted iron bed, and there was an image of a ring, half in the light, half in the shadows, on the floorboards. He’d taken photos of her make-up, and of the mask.

“These are beautiful, Dad,” Lucy breathed.

“But it’s not Mum, is it?” Evie asked. “It’s just Rose.” Rose wrapped her arms around herself. If a five-year-old picked up the grief and hollowness of the photos then there was little doubt that other people would too.

“These are about Mum,” Dave said softly, pointing out the ones with the ring and the toys. Then he also included the photos of him in the mirror, in the tub and on the floor. 

“But this is Rose, isn’t it?” Lucy said, pointing at the mirror shot and the one of her hair.

“It’s because I love Rita and Rose,” Dave explained.

“But Rose isn’t dead,” Evie pointed out, scrambling off her chair to hug Rose.

“No, but I… I’m scared I’ll lose her. And you. That’s why I’ve got the toys, see?”

“Aye,” Paul said. “I’m sure you’ll win, Dad.”

The phone stopped Dave from replying. He smiled apologetically and went to answer the call.

“Whose ring is this?” Ewan asked, bending over the table.

“I don’t know, love. I don’t remember him taking this photo,” Rose said. Dave must have taken it when he was at the house by himself.

When Dave returned from the call, he was beaming. “That was Stuart. He told me he’s agreed to Lucy’s adoption.”

There was a stunned silence.

“What does it mean, Dad?” Evie asked.

“It means that he’s agreed that Dad can adopt me,” Lucy said. “Doesn’t it?”

Dave grinned. “Aye. Actually, it also means that Rose can adopt you. If that’s what you want.”

“Wow!”

“I… I’ll have to think about that,” Lucy said.

Rose ducked her head and smiled. If Lucy wanted her to adopt her too, it meant that Rose would have to move in with them, as this was one of the provisions the court demanded in the case of stepchild adoption. Rose and Dave had poured over the relevant literature for a long time, and Robin had generously helped them.

“What about us, Rose? Aren’t you going to adopt us too?” Paul asked, insecurity flickering up in his eyes.

Although they had discussed this before, Rose was touched every time the topic came up and it became clear that the children wanted her to be their guardian. “Yes, I am, but it’s different because Dave has already agreed. He’s your Dad, and… and Stuart is Lucy’s birth father so we had to ask him for permission.”

“Does that mean he’s not her father any more if Dad adopts her?” Ewan asked.

“No, he still is,” Dave said. “But it means that Lucy’s home is with us.“

“But it _is_ ,” Evie insisted. To make her point clear she went to Lucy for a hug.

“It’s complicated, isn’t it, Dad?” Paul asked. Ewan, who no doubt remembered his awful conduct after Rita’s death, hung his head.

“It isnae really. Lucy is ours and we’ll just make sure that no one can change that,” he said.

“Did Stuart want to change that?” Ewan asked in alarm.

“Only if I’d agreed, Ewan,” Lucy said. “But you are my family. I don’t want to live with anyone but you.”

“Even if I’m… not nice to you?”

“Even then.”

“Which doesn’t mean that you can treat her badly,” Dave was quick to add. 

Ewan blanched. “Of course not.”

Dave gathered the prints and returned them to the folder. “So, what do you all think?”

“Even if you don’t win, which I doubt, you’ll always be the best to us, Dad,“ Paul said.

“The pictures are very sad, though,” Evie added.

“They’re meant to be,” Lucy pointed out.

“So, are you all ready for the trip tomorrow? Have you got everything you need?” Rose asked.

“I hope so,” Paul said. 

“I wish Lottie were coming,” Evie sighed. 

“Aye,” Paul agreed.

But Lottie had gone back home for a week, to make arrangements for her further education and to see her family again. They had explained that to the kids several times, but they had already “adopted” her, in a manner of speaking. Lottie was part of the family now.

Rose sort of wished Lottie were coming too. No doubt, she’d have won Tony’s big heart easily and he’d follow her around and forget about his Mum and sister for a while so they could catch up.

Later that night, when the bairns were in bed and Dave and Rose had settled on one of the sofas in the lounge with a glass of red wine, Dave said, “I hope the idea of adopting Lucy as well doesn’t overwhelm you.”

“It doesn’t. But to be quite honest I have yet to get used to the idea of getting rid of my place,” she said.

Dave understood her correctly. “You mean about giving up a room of your own.”

Rose blushed and looked away.

“Rose, my love, look at me.” Dave took her hand.

Rose smiled at him. He was right, of course. “I know about your needs. And I also know about my… our family’s needs. There might be more… children, and… and space is limited as it is.”

“Dave,” Rose began. She needed to remind him that she might not have any children, ever, not out of cruelty, but to save him from disappointment.

“The neighbours are moving out, and I was thinking of buying their place so we can… spread out a little. You’d get as much room to yourself as you needed, Rose. I was… I was thinking of moving the studio next door, so I don’t have to waste time and money travelling to the School of Art,” he said. “We could have all the privacy we need by moving the girls next door. Which won’t be next door, of course.”

“Dave.”

“I can afford it.”

“Dave, it’s not that,” Rose said.

“What is it then?”

“I love the idea, but… I might not be able to have any babies, and then we’d have that big house and… no one to live in it. Once the bairns are grown up,” she said.

His expression fell. “I know. But you live in that big house of yours, and… you’re used to it. We could… spread out a little, de-clutter everything. We could have decent bathrooms for everyone. The studio would take up the ground floor anyway.”

“You’ve given this a lot of thought, haven’t you?”

“I’m sorry. There wasn’t a proper moment to tell you. Please don’t be mad at me.”

Rose sighed. “I’m not. It is going to be ours, isn’t it?” Rose said. “I feel a bit left out at the moment.”

“I’m sorry, Rose, I…”

She kissed him lightly. “It’s all right. Just… include me in the plans. It’s my home too, and I want to do my bit.”

“Painting the walls.”

“For example.”

He put her glass of wine on the coffee table to be able to kiss her. Which he did. Thoroughly.


	2. Two

Two

Dave followed Rose’s small import through the London traffic, glad he had a SatNav to fall back on in case he lost sight of her. Ewan had narrated the change of route Rose was taking excitedly until he’d snapped at him to be quiet. It had been a long journey, and Dave needed every bit of his waning attention for driving. Thankfully, they arrived at the Tyler Mansion without any problems, and it was all Dave could do not to openly share in the wonder of his bairns as they drove through the impressive gates and followed Rose’s lead down the road to one of the buildings that had once been part of the palace at Greenwich. He knew now that she hadn’t exaggerated when she’d said mansion earlier and the times before that when the children had asked her about her parents’ home.

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Paul asked from his seat at the rear.

“I’m only following Rose. Maybe she’s taking a shortcut.”

“Dad, I have to go,” Evie complained. She had slept for the past hour or so, and she always needed to go after a nap.

“I’m sure we’ll be there soon. Can you manage a few more minutes?”

“I think so,” she said sleepily.

“Ewan, call Rose. Ask her where we’re going. This can’t be right.”

Ewan, always glad for an excuse to use his mobile, did as he was asked, but Rose assured him not to worry and that she could already see her parents’ place.

“Where?” Paul wondered, leaning forward in his seat as far as his safety belt would go. The only building in view was a palatial mansion, its white walls washed in the gorgeous orangey-pink hues of the late afternoon sun. Rose pulled into a gravel drive shaded by old trees.

“And we thought we stayed at posh places in the summer,” Dave muttered. He brought the car to a stop beside Rose’s, killing the engine with a sigh of relief and tipping his head against the backrest. He relaxed briefly, letting his hands drop to his lap.

“Dad?”

“Just give me a moment,” he said to Paul. Taking a deep breath he got out of the car and opened the door for the children, who had already unbuckled themselves, eager to stretch their legs after the long journey.

Rose was walking towards a stout blonde woman and a ginger-haired man who were coming down the steps to meet her. So these were the Tylers. Mrs Tyler was wearing jeans and a be-sequined t-shirt, her bottle-blonde hair swept up. Mr Tyler was still in his suit trousers and shirt from work, but he’d shucked his tie and jacket. He hugged Rose first before she moved on for a longer embrace and kisses with her mother. Dave rubbed the back of his neck.

“Dad, I really have to go!” Evie insisted, her expression pained.

“Ah, yes, it’s been a long journey, hasn’t it” Mr Tyler said, joining them. Ignoring Dave for the moment, he squatted in front of Evie. “Hello, I’m Pete, Rose’s Dad. I can show you to the loo if you want.”

Evie exchanged a quick glance with Dave to make sure that it was okay. She was really desperate, and this was Rose’s Dad. “Sure, you go ahed.”

“I’ll be back in a sec,” Mr Tyler said, flashing him a winning smile. It wasn’t even close to the ones Dave knew him to use at public appearances, but it was entirely Pete Tyler. He watched Evie slip her hand into his and hurry alongside him towards the house.

“Mum, this is Dave,” he heard Rose say, and he turned towards the two women, affecting a nervous smile. So this was Jackie Tyler. She was, undoubtedly, Rose’s Mum. She stared at him for a second, no doubt appraising him and comparing him to the Doctor. He couldn’t fault her for it. He must have been gawping too. “Dave, this is my Mum, Jackie.”

“We’ve spoken on the phone, silly,” Jackie chided her. “And don’t be so formal. Hello, Dave.” Without further ado, she reached up and drew him into her arms, welcoming him as if they were old friends long separated, rather than just having met for the first time.

“Hello,” he managed to say, returning the hug. It was a proper hug, not one of these fancy, touching-each-other’s-shoulders things to blow kisses.

“Aww, you must be exhausted after the long journey, poor lamb,” Jackie said. “We’ll get you inside for a nap and some tea and then you’ll be ready for the concert. You must be so excited!”

“Oh, ah, thanks,” he said, smiling, genuinely this time. If anything, he hadn’t expected Rose’s Mum to be so easy-going and welcoming. “These are Ewan and Paul, by the way, my boys.” He held out his arm and the boys stepped closer. Jackie didn’t hug them, but she greeted them warmly, luring them inside with the promise of cupcakes and home-made lemonade.

“Well, then, let’s see where your little one has skipped off to. No doubt she’s met Tony by now,” Jackie said. “Leave your things, Tom will get them.”

“Tom?”

“My housekeeper’s husband,” Jackie said.

Dave slid his hand into Rose’s as they followed Jackie inside, the boys trailing behind them, tired and unusually bashful. “It’s like she’s known me forever,” he whispered.

“Told you, didn’t I?” Rose grinned at him, her tongue tucked into the corner of her mouth.

Just then, a high-pitched squeal shattered his moment of peace. As always at such a sound, he turned his full attention towards the source, muscles tensing in anticipation. A little boy came barreling towards them, followed by Pete and Evie. “Rose!” the boy cried.

Rose let go of Dave’s hand to crouch and break the boy’s inevitable fall; if he was anything like Ewan at that age, there was no way to stop him apart from catching him in an embrace. Which Rose did, and the impact was so strong she nearly keeled over. “Hello, little brother!” she said, laughing.

So this was Tony. Dave thought that Mr Tyler must have looked like him as a wee boy. He smiled as he watched Rose and her brother reunited. For a moment he saw his and Rose’s child in her arms, but he quickly pushed the image aside. She’d made it unequivocally clear that she wasn’t going to have a baby. Not because she didn’t want to. Because she couldn’t. His heart clenched at the thought. Goodness knew he had enough children of his own, but having another with Rose would have been the icing on the cake. 

As Rose stood, she sat Tony on her hip. Of course he was reluctant to let go of her, particularly in the company of strangers. Tony looked at him wide-eyed, and waved at the two big boys. Evie joined them and took Dave’s hand. “All better now?” he asked.

Evie nodded eagerly. “Come inside the house, Dad! It’s even bigger than the one we stayed at to see Granddad.”

“Is it!” he asked in wonderment. For a minute, he’d gone thinking that maybe the Tylers only occupied a part of the mansion. But if they lived there all by themselves… The mansion easily held his mother’s house three times over and there’d still be enough room for Rose’s.

-:-

It proved truly enormous. Jackie showed them to their rooms, which were located on one side of the mansion, whereas the Tylers’, including Rose’s, rooms were on the other side. “I’ll stay here with you, of course,” Rose said, after Jackie had left so they could freshen up before tea and the concert.

“I’m glad. I’m not sure I’d find yours,” he said, grinning. “Rose, this is… beyond description.”

“Yeah, well. At least there’s some life in it now that all the children are here together. Just wait and see what happens when Lily and Lucy join us on Sunday,” she said, snaking her arms around his midriff.

“I’ll just check on the bairns, see if they’re all right,” he said, yawning.

“I’ll be waiting for you,” she said. For once, the bairns did not have to be persuaded to have a nap. All three of them were knackered, much to the Tony's disappointment. Evie had fallen asleep again, sprawled on the bed, so he just went in to take off her glasses and shoes.

When he returned to Rose and his room, Tom had already brought up their bags and Rose was undressing herself. She, too, looked tired. He’d have liked to have taken one car so they could share the driving, but since Lucy and Lily weren’t going to go back to Glasgow with the rest of the orchestra Sunday morning, they’d need a second car.

He pulled his jumper over his head. “I’ll take a shower,” he said.

“Want some company?”

“Just… showering, if that is all right?” he asked, leaning down for a kiss.

“Yeah, ‘m tired too.”

Of course, they couldn’t avoid some kissing and teasing, but they both agreed to save it for later when they both yawned. “Some couple we are,” Rose chuckled. “Getting tired. In the shower. Together.” She reached to cup his bum and drop a kiss onto his chest.

“You might want to reconsider,” he agreed, nuzzling her dewy hair. His heart was speeding up a little. Although he loved her deeply, and he knew that she loved him in return, there was still some doubt left. He was a lot older than she, he had a bunch of children and a grandson on top of that, and he reminded her of the man she’d loved. 

“Umm,” Rose mumbled at once. “No, thanks.” She slid her arms around his torso, holding him as the water cascaded down on them.

“Rose?” he asked, his heart slowing down a little. “Don’t fall asleep on me. Please.”

“Mmm, no. It’s jus’ so wonderful, standin’ here with you,” she mumbled, her hair darkening as the water poured down on it.

He rested his chin lightly on top of her head, allowing the warm water to sluice down his face. “Aye.”

“But we’d better. Cuddle in bed?” she asked, stepping away from him.

After she’d taken care of her hair, she wrapped a towel around it and slid into bed with him, her naked skin warm and soft against his, filling his nose with her scent. He snuggled up against her, and dozed off.

-:-

After tea, two cars picked them up and took the five of them and Jackie to the venue of the concert. None of them were too excited about getting into a car again, but at least they didn’t have to drive. Pete stayed at the mansion with Tony because he had some work to do. “On a Friday night?” Evie asked, her eyes going wide.

“I work on Friday nights. Sometimes,” Dave said.

“Aye, but you’re a photographer. Pete works in an office,” Evie pointed out.

“True,” Pete said, “but sometimes I must take care of some important things on Friday evening, so I can spend the rest of the weekend with my family.”

Evie had accepted that and slipped into the back of the car between Rose and Jackie.

When they arrived at the venue, Donna was already waiting for them. She had spent the week here to get some extra Torchwood training and had tried to keep the girls’ nervousness at bay. It was the first such event for them, and while Lily tried to stay calm, Lucy’s and some of the others’ excitement rubbed off on her. She seemed very flustered by the fact that she had forgotten an elastic for her hair and had had to borrow one from her girlfriend.

“Dad!” Lucy sighed with relief as he stepped backstage with Donna. Lucy went to him for a hug, and he held her firmly. She looked pale and he wondered if she was coming down with something, or if it was just stage fright. It had been a long day for her too. After he’d dropped her and Lily off at school very early that morning, he had gone home to collect the bairns and set off South. They’d soon caught up with the school coach on the motorway and passed it. The bairns had waved excitedly, but he wasn’t sure if Lucy had seen them.

“Hello, sweetheart. Are you all right?” he asked. It was as if last night’s incident was forgotten already. It probably was, considering.

“Aye.”

“And you, Lily?” he asked.

She seemed a little distracted, but nodded, trying to put on a smile.

“I can’t go back out there without an answer,” he began. “Did you see us on the motorway?”

“Aye, I did. Are the wee ones here?”

“All of them, and Rose and her Mum.”

“Mrs Tyler is there too?” Lucy’s eyes went wide. She had yet to meet Jackie, and Dave noticed with some amusement that the thought seemed to make her just as nervous as the idea of playing in front of an audience full of strangers. In London.

“Yes. She wouldn’t be persuaded otherwise,” Dave said. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, she’s just another Mum.”

“Really?”

“Aye. And she wants to see and hear you and Lily play. She can’t wait to meet you after, and then spend the holidays with all of us. Her and Pete and Tony.”

“It’s so weird to think that Rose has a family too,” Lucy admitted. “I know it’s silly.”

He wanted to kiss her forehead but didn’t want to embarrass her in front of her friends. So he just stroked her cheek briefly. “No, it’s not. We’ve always had her to ourselves, haven’t we?”

Lucy smiled. “I have to go.”

“Well, break a leg. Or whatever it is you say.” 

“Have fun.”

“Well, have fun.“

“I will, thanks.“

“You too, Lily. Are you all right?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

He gave her arm an encouraging squeeze and gave his daughter a meaningful look. _Kiss her,_ he wanted to tell her. _Reassure her._ But he had no idea, of course, if their friends knew they were a couple, and so he opted for discretion. 

Donna hugged Lily briefly before she accompanied him into the auditorium, where the others had kept seats for them. 

“And? Did she see us?” Ewan wanted to know before Dave had a chance to make himself comfortable in the narrow space and read the programme.

“Aye, she did. Ye all right? Have ye been to the loo? Evie?”

“Yes!” she said. “Jackie took me.”

“Oh, good. Thanks,” he said.

“Nah, don’t worry. I’m used to it with Tony,” she said. “Besides, it’s nice, having a little girl around again. Evie reminds me of how long it’s been since Rose was little.”

Lost for words, Dave nodded and smiled. There were so many things he wanted to know about Rose, but this was neither the place nor the time. Besides, he didn’t want to embarrass Rose by quizzing her mother about her childhood. Just as he unfolded the programme and scanned it, the lights went down and a hush descended on the audience.

The orchestra went on stage, greeted with applause that died down briefly until the concert mistress – Lily – entered the stage to stand in front of the musicians while they tuned. Then the applause grew louder again as the conductor entered, shook her hand, and took his place on the podium.

Both the girls’ expressions were serious as they concentrated on the music, but it was amazing to see how they became ever more confident the more they lost themselves in their music. Lucy even smiled, although it was a bit wistfully. Since the concert had been announced early that year, the plan had been for Rita to be here, and his heart clenched. He ducked his head. It was moments like this that he became acutely aware of how suddenly life could take very unexpected and dramatic turns. He reached for Rose’s hand to anchor himself.

“Are you all right?” she whispered, leaning in.

“Just having a moment,” he replied, his voice tight.

Rose gave him a squeeze and pulled their clasped hands to rest in her lap so she could cover them with her free hand. From the corner of his eye he could see Jackie notice and smile.

The orchestra was surprisingly good and they had some excellent soloists. Lily performed the soli from Vivaldi’s Spring with breathtaking passion, and the oboist in the Pavane was brilliant. The orchestra also performed one of the Peer Gynt Suites. After the intermission, the school’s choir replaced the orchestra and finished the night’s entertainment to roaring applause.

“I must admit I’m far from being an expert,” Jackie said when Lucy and Lily joined them for a drink afterwards, “but you were brilliant, both of you.”

The girls beamed, and the compliment seemed to have broken the ice. Lily hadn’t been as nervous of meeting Jackie, of course, because she hadn’t heard enough about the Tyler family to be truly impressed by who they were.

“I’m sure you’re glad it’s over now, aren’t you? You must have spent ages practising,” Jackie continued.

“We spent the previous two weekends at school,” Lily said.

“But it was great fun,” Lucy finished.

Jackie looked from one girl to the other, noticing their clasped hands. While it wasn’t unusual for teenage girls to hold hands in public, Dave couldn’t help but think that there was a chemistry between the two girls that suggested greater intimacy than friendship. He wondered if Jackie could see it too.

“So your holidays are well-deserved. As they always are. I can’t wait to talk to you properly on Sunday,” Jackie said.

Lucy smiled at her kind words and gave Dave and Rose quick hugs before their teacher called them behind the stage so they could collect their bags and instruments and return to their hostel.

“These two are amazing,” Jackie said to Donna and Dave.

“I have nothing to do with it,” Donna said. “She’s only lived with me for a few weeks.”

“Oh. What happened?” Jackie asked.

“She’s the girl from the Blitz, Mum,” Rose said.

Jackie’s face fell. “Oh. Oh, poor lamb. I had no idea. How has she settled in?”

“Well, I suppose,” Dave said.

Jackie gave him a shrewd look. “That’s what I was thinking.”

“She has her moments,” Donna said. “And sometimes I think she could be my grandmother, when she says something that is just so… 1940s. But she’s adapting quickly. Lucy is a godsend.”

Dave ducked his head and reached for Rose’s hand. He could say the same about her. And he would, later, when they were alone.


	3. Three

Three

The Cutty Sark Park proved a huge success with the children. It was one of Tony’s favourite places to go in the city, and even on a day late in October it offered the perfect balance between outdoor and indoor activities. While some of the ships on display were open to the public as museums only, there were also partly renovated wrecks that not only gave insight into how the tea clippers were built, but also served as adventure playgrounds and learning centres for young visitors, complete with a story-telling cave in a cargo hold, cooking classes in the galley and even a reconstruction of a Roman river war ship. The latter was taken out on the Thames with the visitors at the oars. Paul and Ewan convinced Pete and Dave to have a go, and they were ecstatic and exhausted by the experience of rowing a war ship fast enough to achieve the speed necessary to ram another ship or outrun the enemy. Not to be left out, Tony and Evie had gone with them, cheering them on.

“That was something else,” Dave panted, laughing, as they staggered off the ship half an hour later. He was sure he’d have blisters on his hands and aching muscles from moving the surprisingly heavy oar.

“That was brilliant!” Ewan enthused, gratefully taking the bottle of water Rose gave him.

“I hope that made up for the disappointment of their project class being cancelled,” Dave murmured in Rose’s ear, opening the bottle.

“We’ll see,” she said, smiling.

Rose had taken photos with the camera he’d brought and together they looked at the ones she’d gotten of them on the boat.

Later, when a brief shower drove them into one of the cafés and Rose and Pete went off to get them coffee and cake, he found himself alone with Jackie for the first time. “You make her happy,” she said.

He smiled softly at her. “Not as happy as she makes me.”

“I haven’t seen her so relaxed and herself since the days when she travelled with the Doctor,” Jackie said.

“Oh.”

Jackie patted his hand. “Sorry, love, I didn’t get that right. It’s a different kind of happiness. I’m not sure how to explain.”

“Travelling with the Doctor seems to me to be rather intoxicating,” Dave replied. “Discovering something entirely different, on an alien planet, must be… I don’t know. I had a little taste of it, and I only went to your original universe.”

“Yes, Rose told me.”

“I think I understand what it must have been like for you to come and live here,” he offered carefully. Meeting his parents in Rose's original universe had certainly been a life-changing experience for him, and he wasn’t sure about its full impact yet.

“So you met the Doctor?”

“I did.”

“You’re nothing like him, you know. I can see that now. To be quite honest I was worried when Rose first told me about you,” Jackie said. 

Dave was surprised by her honesty, but they were magical as well. If Rose’s Mum could see a difference between him and the Doctor then he could be absolutely sure that Rose did too. Not that he had doubted her, but Jackie’s words made the enormity of the difference clearer.

When he didn’t reply at once, Jackie shook her head. “Now I’ve put my foot in it.”

“No, no, you haven’t. What you said is very reassuring. You’ve just met me, but you can tell there’s a difference between the two of us,” he said.

Jackie nodded. “That’s why I said it. Pete and I went through the same thing.”

“It’s not easy. At the beginning,” he said.

“There will always be moments when you wonder, love. But never forget that she sees and loves Dave, not the Doctor,” Jackie said.

“Aye, thanks.”

“It helps, of course, that you have the kids. They’re darlings, they are. Tony likes them a lot.” She craned her neck to check on them in the queue at the self-service counter. Turning in his seat, Dave saw them choosing pastries from the gorgeous display; Evie was sitting on Rose’s hip to see all the offerings, and Pete was holding Tony in a similar fashion.

“They love Rose, which is such a relief.”

“As she loves them.”

Although he’d known that, and seen it, it was good to hear Jackie say it. He wished he still had his Mum to turn to for such simple observations. He loved his father dearly, but going to him for advice was entirely different than talking to Jackie. “Aye, she does.”

“I am so happy for you both, Dave,” was the last thing Jackie said before the others returned with hot drinks and the unexpectedly delicious pastry. Pete intimated that they often came here because of the café; naturally, Jean the owner wouldn’t divulge to them the secret of her supplier.

He smiled at Jackie and wondered if Rose had told her about their plans. She wasn’t wearing her ring, so he thought that she hadn’t, but the way Jackie had talked to him suggested that she might have figured it out.

-:-

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Rose asked, watching him knot his tie from where she was leaning agains the wall beside the full-length mirror. She was distracting him. She wore a flattering wrap-around dress. If he pulled the sash, the secret of her lingerie would be revealed to him.

Rose had refused to let him watch her dress, and he’d pouted, trying to suppress his arousal. There would be time for unwrapping and admiring her later. And then, he’d make love to her. It was a prospect that made the idea of potentially having to face the London crowd of paps more bearable.

“I’ll have to sooner or later, won’t I? So I might as well face them at an opening night for a play that will draw much more famous people. No offence,” he said, adjusting the knot.

Rose laughed. “None taken. Pete’s right, it’s the best opportunity. Take advantage of their hunger for the truly rich and sexy.”

He looked at her. “To me you are truly rich and sexy. You’re beautiful, Rose.”

He loved the blush that spread over her face when he said it, amazing him with her modesty. As he slid into his jacket, she put on her shoes, a pair of incredibly high-heeled shoes. “Not exactly made for running,” Rose muttered as she adjusted the blue leather straps at the toe caps.

“They’re not made for running,” he observed. “Rose, you’re every photographer’s dream tonight.”

“Just tonight?” she asked, doing that sexy thing with her tongue.

“Every night, and every day to me, of course,” he said, leaning in for a brief kiss.

Cupping his cheek, she stepped away, but she did so with a smile, which made it less painful. He knew that for the next three hours he’d have to share her, but he feared that in his heart he might not have truly fully understood what it meant. Or at all.

“I’ll be very different. A lot more like on my birthday. Probably worse. I want you to remember that,” she said, her expression as serious as ever.

He nodded.

“And I want you to remember that no matter what you see, I love you, Dave,” she continued. “I’m hiding away your Rose to keep her safe, yeah?”

He swallowed. “That doesn’t really sound comforting.”

“Are you scared?”

“My knees are like jelly,” he said, taking both her hands in his, hoping she’d notice how grossly damp they were. It had begun.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked again.

“Aye.”

“No, I mean about being with a minor celebrity? The attention?”

When he swallowed this time it was painful because both his mouth and throat had gone dry. “Are you giving me an out? From us?”

Her eyes widened in terror as she realised what she’d said. “You tell me.”

His mind went blank.

“Dave?”

“I’m just a simple photographer and a father of five,” he began. “Of course —”

“Dave!” she cried. “Dave, no. I just thought, you're used to a simple, uncomplicated life… I’ve upset it, with who I am and what I do. I can understand if it’s too dear a price to pay. You’ve got the children to consider.”

He let go of her hands. He couldn’t believe she was bringing this up now, when what he needed was her reassurance. His mind was like a merry-go-round with ups and downs, spinning faster and faster, his stomach lurching so he feared he might not be able to keep his tea down. Was this the end? Was she about to show him what her life was really like, beside the terrors and wonders of Torchwood, to make him understand what she was really like? As if he had a choice. There was no way he could leave. No way he would want to.

“Let’s go,” he said brusquely. “The car’s waiting.” He offered her his arm and put on his very own professional armour, light though it was. 

“Dave?”

He covered her hand where it rested in the crook of his elbow and gave it a squeeze, but he didn’t trust himself to speak. He needed all his strength now to make it through the evening. There was time enough to examine this and to fall apart later.

Jackie seemed to notice the shift in their closeness, but thankfully she didn’t comment on it as she wished them an enjoyable evening and sent them on their way. “Are you sure you’re all right with watching all the bairns tonight?” He had to ask. It was the grand way out, not an emergency exit.

“Oh, of course. They’re all rather knackered anyway. Evie and Tony are already asleep.”

“That was fast,” Dave said. And surprising, given the unfamiliar surroundings and the fact that Evie knew he and Rose were about to go out. The day at the Cutty Sark Park had really taken its toll on her.

“Thank God for small blessings,” she said, smiling. “You two enjoy your night out. The play’s supposed to be fantastic.”

“Thanks, Mum,” Rose said, sounding a bit unhappy. But it was gone as quickly as it had come, and her public persona was in place again.

The journey into town was silent, but their hands were clasped on the leather between them, and both of them punctuated the silence with small squeezes and brushes. Dave didn’t dare look her in the eye, however. Not until the car pulled up outside the theatre. The pavement was crowded with theatre goers, the press and celebrity spotters with either their own camera equipment or a pen and paper at the ready. He smiled. It had never occurred to him that Rose might have to give autographs as well. 

“Remember,” she said, making him look at her with her soft word. “I love you.”

He nodded, and then the door was opened, letting in the incredible din of voices and screams and applause. This was madness. For a moment, he sat unmoving, but then Rose scooted up to his side and urged him out.

The flashes were dazzling, and he concentrated on helping Rose out of the car. The audience responded with a crescendo of noise. He’d never been aware of how disorienting such a welcome was until he experienced it on the other side. Rose’s grip around his elbow was firm, and he covered her hand with his for extra support, obediently plastering a smile to his face, just like she’d told him to.

“Rose!”

“Here! Look here, Rose!”

“Miss Tyler, please, over here!”

“Are you going to marry him, Rose?”

“Have you set a date?”

“Who is he, anyway?”

“Kiss him. Show us!”

Dave felt his smile freeze even more, thinking it must by now look like the most horrible Samhain mask. Rose said something, but he didn’t catch what it was. He only felt her push into him, seeking his support. He wrapped an arm around her firmly; she was teetering dangerously on her high heels. He wondered, absurdly, how long it had been since she’d last worn such an impossible pair of footwear. He realised that the charity event on her birthday had been the only public appearance since her accident.

Her fingers dug painfully into his arm, but he didn’t let go, particularly not when she accepted the odd autograph book or photo — one of his own, he noticed, pirated or purchased off the online agency — to sign, or pose for a photo with the fan. He let go, reluctantly, then.

Somehow, they made it into the foyer, from which most of the press were excluded, and an usher came to show them to the relative quiet of the auditorium, where other people like them found refuge. The rest of the audience seemed civilised, and respectful enough not to point. Openly.

He didn’t allow himself to relax into the red velvet of the seat until the house lights dimmed and a hush descended upon the audience. Rose reached for his hand, and he clasped it firmly, loosening his grip somewhat when he realised he might be hurting her.

Awful was not an adjective that fully encompassed the whole experience, and it took him a while to shake the feeling and enjoy the play.

It was as fantastic as they said, and it finished to roaring applause for the beaming and decidedly happy cast.

“Same again?” he asked as he unfolded himself from the cramped quarters of his seat.

“No. I’ve told the driver not to pick us up until half an hour after the end. We’ve got a bottle of champagne waiting at the bar. If you like.”

He nodded. A glass of bubbly couldn’t hurt.

“Does it help? Sitting the occupation out?”

Rose laughed for the first time that night, unprompted by something the actors had said. “It usually does. Most of the press people the actors to the chic clubs. They’ll be waiting for them at the stage door.”

“While we are going to walk out the front door.”

“And face just a handful of the truly dedicated fans.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Dedicated is one way of looking at it.”

“Semantics,” Rose scoffed.

When they entered the bar Dave truly relaxed, hoping that their conversation from before the play was forgiven and forgotten, mostly, and chalked up to nerves. He was furious with himself for being so self-centred that he hadn’t thought about how important the outing was for Rose.

“I wonder what the papers will make of it,” he said.

“The play? Or our appearance?”

“The latter. Thanks,” he nodded at the young waitress as she offered him a glass of the promised champagne.

“We’ll see. Are you going to be all right about seeing your face plastered on all the newspapers?”

“Which will be lining Tuesday’s bins?” he asked, having found his equilibrium again.

Rose laughed. “Yeah.”

“Aye. I think so.”

“You might have to talk to the bairns’ schools. Again.”

His relief at having survived the press made him literally slump a little. He hadn’t thought of that. At all. The fact that it was half term would hopefully make things somewhat easier.

-:-

They escaped the West End relatively unscathed, and Rose shifted to sit in the centre of the rear seat to snuggle up to him. He found himself absentmindedly playing with some loose strands of her hair, and, as he turned his head to press a kiss to her temple, enjoying the scent of her hair. Remembering their earlier conversation he wasn’t quite so sure any more if they were going to end up in a tangle on the bed or each of them on their side of it. The thought was unbearable, the mere idea of going to sleep without making up after a fight impossible. He wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink.

They joined Jackie and Pete in the family room for a nightcap, recommending the play warmly to them. Pete brought out his tablet and showed them the first shots of their arrival at the Wyndham that had made it online. They both looked tense beneath their smiles, but of course they were biased. Dave thought that they looked perfect beside each other, and he was amazed by the protective gaze he was wearing as he watched Rose sign a photo.

“How was it?” Pete asked softly.

“Nightmarish,” Rose replied. “I didn’t remember it being quite so bad.”

“It was your first big appearance after the Dimension Cannon, and with your new boyfriend to boot,” Pete said. “It was bound to generate a lot of interest. But I think the worst is over.”

“Until the wedding,” Jackie said.

Dave froze, staring dumbly at her. Had Rose…? Hadn’t she said she wanted to wait for the perfect moment, when her parents and he had had some time to get to know each other? He looked at her, but found her expression just as shocked as her stepfather’s.

“Oh, silly me,” Jackie said.

“Not at all silly,” Dave said, straightening. “You’re right.”

Now it was her turn to stare at them. What was he thinking? A few hours ago Rose and he had had a discussion that made a wedding questionable, and now he'd blown their cover?

“Are you…?”

“We haven’t set a date yet, Mum,” Rose said, putting down her empty tumbler to reach for his hand. “It’s a bit soon for everyone involved.”

Pete smiled sagely. Jackie eventually shook her surprise off. “Of course it is, sweetheart. I’m sorry if I’ve spoiled the grand announcement.”

They all laughed in relief, and decided to celebrate the news the next evening, when all of the children would be there.

They retired soon after, and when Rose stepped towards him to fully undo his tie, he rested his hands on her waist, staring at her intently, unsure for the moment of what to say.

“I’m sorry for lashing out earlier,” he eventually whispered. “I was so busy being scared that it never occurred to me what it must be like for you. I hope I haven’t made too much of a mess of things for you.”

Rose ran her hands inside his jacket and pushed it over his shoulders and down his arms. “I had no idea how tense I was myself.”

She rose to kiss him. “I’m sorry.”

He slid his hands higher up the smooth fabric of her gorgeous dress, trying to feel the seams of her underwear beneath it. There seemed nothing out of the ordinary, but he was sure that that was deceptive. Rose wouldn’t have made such a hullaballoo of it if it were simple silken underwear — which he loved. “Sometimes I wonder what you see in me. Us.”

“You saved my life. In more than one way.”

He kissed her forehead and enfolded her in his arms. “I love you, Rose.”

“See? That’s another reason why I’m with you.”

He smiled, and when she looked up at him, she was returning the smile, her eyes dark. “And the third reason, my love, I have to show you. If that’s all right.”

He swallowed, warmth suffusing his groin. “Very much.”


	4. Four

Four

Her heart started pounding, filling every last fibre of her body with the intoxicating sensation of lust, love and Laphroaig. The emotional excitement of the evening had ramped up her need for him, and as the tension fell away with her mother’s words about the anticipated wedding, she was so relieved she could have wept. But falling apart on Dave was not an option, not when, as he’d said, the promise of wonderful sex was what kept him going. She’d had no idea that facing the press was going to be quite so demanding, especially her. She was supposed to be the strong one who was used to it. But it was all over now, and things had gone well, even after the horrible journey to the Wyndham.

Suddenly, she was bashful about her plans for the rest of the night, despite Dave’s darkened gaze. “Would you like to undress me?” she asked softly.

Dave toed off his dress shoes, taking both her hands to keep his balance as he did so. He seemed just as shy, suddenly, and Rose wondered why that was. Maybe they should clear the air between them first, or maybe sex was exactly what they needed. 

Dave made the decision for her, as prompted. He shifted her left hand from his right to his left, holding both tightly, and he raised them up above her head, pushing her against the wall beside the mirror. “Does that answer your question?” he asked, teasing her with his lips close to hers, but not quite touching on hers. His breath was warm on her skin, and she could smell the peaty sweetness of the whisky on him. He nudged her with the tip of his nose, and then, suddenly, he cupped her sex through the material of the dress.

She sobbed in relief. She’d been waiting for his touch so long and had been afraid she might never feel it again, particularly after the almost-fight they’d had. They would still need to talk about it, but for now it was more important to come back together, to show each other how they really felt.

Dave’s fingers began to move, impatient to wait until she was naked, and Rose found that it was exactly what they needed. A quick, hard encounter up against the wall to be followed by something more leisurely between the sheets.

“Rose,” he whispered into her ear, tracing its shell with the tip of his tongue, his breath tickling her skin. “Rose, my love. I want you. I’ve got you, and it’s all right, but I want you now, Rose. Please.”

“Yes, yes,” she sighed, scattering her plan for a slow seduction to the wind. “I’d love that, Dave.”

He dropped his face into the crook of her neck and shoulder and nipped and kissed the skin there, making her open up to him more. His hand found its way underneath the heavy silk of her dress, discovering only the lace of her knickers. It was damp with her arousal. His words and his touch, so novel in their urgency and possessiveness, had made the tension uncoil within her and released her juices.

Dave drew the pads of his fingers over her knickers somewhat clumsily before turning his hand to brush against her with the backs of his fingers. “I need you, Rose. Now.”

“I’d… I’d help you, but…” she murmured, kissing the part of his face she could reach. The words worked their magic and he released her hands. She dropped them immediately to the front of his trousers and unbuckled, unbuttoned and unzipped him, reaching inside to find his cock. It had been straining against the cotton, and Dave groaned when she finally pulled him free.

“Help me, Rose,” he said, rucking up the folds of her dress to her hips. Instead of pulling down her knickers, however, he just pushed the gusset aside and slid his fingers between her wet folds.

“Dave!” she cried out. She’d known the touch was coming, and still it was a shock. “Come on, now, hurry, Dave!”

“Aye,” he breathed, bending his knees as she opened her legs wider. Somehow, they managed to align the tip of his cock with her opening, and he slid home. Rose’s head fell back against the wall as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

“Condom,” he groaned, tilting his hips upwards to sink even deeper into her before he’d have to withdraw to take care of protection.

“Sod the condom, Dave,” Rose gasped.

He leaned back to be able to look at her. She tried to communicate to him with her eyes only that there was nothing to worry about. They’d discussed this, and it was time they adjusted to the idea that they weren’t going to make any babies together.

The thought seemed to occur to Dave at the same moment, and he blinked, wanting to say something.

“’s all right, my love.”

He seemed heartbroken and for a moment she wondered if she’d spoilt it all again, but he responded with an almost painful upwards thrust, lifting her off her her feet for a moment.

“Aye, Rose, my love,” he grunted, burying his face in her shoulder again as he adjusted his grip around her hips for better leverage. He brought her left leg up as far as it would go, sinking even deeper into her with his next thrust.

Rose squeezed his cock inside her. It was the eroticism and their mutual need that helped her orgasm along, but still she touched herself, somehow, at his request. It wasn’t really necessary. Dave shifted yet again, and the new angle provided her with dazzling sensations in spots he rarely reached.

She cried out.

“Sh, my love, you’ll wake the whole house.”

“Then stop,” she bit her lip, holding back another moan, “doing that.”

“Driving inside you?”

“Not… oh, Dave, not like that. I… oh, Dave!” she moaned.

“I’m so close, Rose, please, come. Come for me,” he panted, pushing hard into her, pressing her up against the wall, trapping her hand between them. She squeezed the base of his cock, digging her fingers into the flesh of his shoulder. “What are you doing to me, Rose?”

She made her muscles ripple around him once more, and with one final thrust he erupted inside her, making her shiver with an orgasm of her own. Rose relaxed and slumped against him, shaken by the intensity of the whole experience. It occurred to her that he had given her several small orgasms before he’d pulled her over the edge with him.

Rose tried to calm her breathing as she sat, dazed, on Dave’s lap after they'd collapsed to the floor. Their limbs were akimbo, bent around and crossed over one another. She had no idea to whom which each one belonged. She just wanted to _be_ for a while, and leaned further into his arms.

“Dave?”

He groaned in reply.

“Dave, love, are you all right?”

“More than,” he slurred.

She caressed the bit of skin between his collar and hairline lazily, kissing whatever part of him she could reach. And squeezed his softening cock inside her. She wished she could stay like this forever.

Eventually, however, they had to move. As he withdrew from her, she could feel his release follow in his wake, and she clamped her slightly sore legs closed.

“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

“No, it’s just… the mess.” 

They weren’t used to it, of course, because the condoms usually stopped it.

“Don’t move, I’ll get you a flannel.”

Rose leaned against the wall, touching her tingling lips with her fingers to trap the memory of his lips against them as much as to suppress a giddy giggle. They usually had fantastic sex, but this had been something else.

Dave had made himself presentable in the bathroom, so it took him a moment longer to return with the flannel. Rose didn’t mind. After the giggles had gone, the warmth of contentment wrapped itself around her shoulders and she found it easier to breathe. Her limbs were heavy and she could have fallen asleep there if Dave hadn’t roused her with a soft kiss.

“Here you go, love,” he said, giving her the warm, damp washcloth.

She pressed it between her legs as he helped her to her feet so she could waddle to the en suite.

“I ruined your plans,” he said when she left the bathroom. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking sheepishly at her.

“I loved what we did.”

“It was something else.”

“Yeah, that it was.”

“You’re very beautiful like this. After a shag,” he said, holding his hand out for her. She took it and settled on his lap.

“You don’t look half-bad yourself, Dave,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around his shoulders again.

They kissed, taking their time to explore and enjoy each other.

“I love you so, Dave, do you know that?” She framed his face with both her hands and looked at him intently.

He nodded and kissed her again.

They took a quick shower and snuggled together under the big duvet, Rose crawling into bed and lying on top of Dave’s naked backside. She found she fitted the curve of his bum and lower back perfectly, and she needed to feel as much of his skin against hers as possible.

“This comfortable?” she whispered, her lips close to his ear. She was momentarily distracted by the delicate curl of a short lock of his hair just behind his ear. It looked endearing as well as very sexy. Brushing her fingertip over it, she kissed the spot and was rewarded with a sigh.

“Best cover I’ve ever had,” he mumbled.

“I’m not too heavy?”

He chuckled. “Is that a trick question?”

Rose kissed the side of his face. “No, it’s genuine concern.”

“It’s lovely, but I’d rather look at you when we’re talking.”

Rose carefully shifted to lie beside him, pulling the duvet up to cover her breasts. “You’re right, Dave.”

He looked at her searchingly, his eyes flicking rapidly as they sought for words or a resting place. “Tonight was overwhelming.”

“I’d forgotten how bad it could be. I’ve been off the game for far too long.”

“You were seriously injured, so I think they should allow you —” He interrupted himself, reconsidering. “No. They should respect your time to recover, as well as your right to privacy.”

“The thing is, Dave, that my kind of fame makes people think they own me. There’s no concept of privacy or propriety,” she said. “But discussing this won’t lead anywhere, and it’s quite beside the point. Isn’t it?”

He closed his eyes. “I needed to start somewhere. Sort my thoughts.”

She cupped his face with her hand. “I know. I’m sorry it was so awful.”

“I’m sorry I was so awful. So insecure. I shouldn’t have let this whole thing get to me as much as I did.”

“So you weren’t serious when you gave me that out? From my promise to you and the children?” she asked, her heart speeding up.

When he didn’t reply, tears pooled in her eyes and she leaned in for a kiss, not knowing if he’d still allow her. He returned the kiss at the very last moment, tensing his lips against hers. “I need to protect us.”

Rose’s thoughts were reeling. Did he seriously think that she was just playing with them? Promising to be his wife and to adopt his children just on a whim? He’d been played with, and she understood his need for safety. What she didn’t understand was his sudden change of heart. What had she done to deserve his sudden distrust?

“I don’t understand,” she stammered, pulling back.

He turned his head to stare at the ceiling for a few moments, collecting his thoughts. Although impatient and afraid of what he might say, Rose remained quiet, keeping her hands still where they touched him.

“What do you see in me? Because… I wonder how I compare to the Doctor and all the good-looking male celebrities out there. You must be beating them off with a stick,” he asked eventually, his head rolling to its side. He looked at her, his eyes suspiciously shiny.

“They’re not you. You saved my life in more ways than one, and you’re willing to put up with me despite the Doctor and the good-looking celebrity men,” Rose said. She knew he wasn’t fishing for compliments. There was no playfulness in his tone. He really needed to hear her say it, and, given the competition he thought he was up against, it was understandable. “You support my job. You trust me with the Emptiness Folder. You’re willing to marry me and have me as the stepmother of your children. I doubt that any of the others would allow me to be myself.”

“The Doctor?”

“He’s different.” She didn’t know how to go on without hurting him.

“He’s your Rita, isn’t he?”

She blinked. “I suppose he is. The thing is, Dave. He’s in my past and in a parallel universe. And when I look at you I see you, not him, not what might have been, because that nearly cost me life.”

They lay in silence for a while. “Do you think you’ll ever get used to the general public’s attention? We won’t be able to avoid them forever, and you know that I can use my relative popularity for charity work.”

He took one of her hands and gave her fingers a squeeze. “I think so.”

“I’d never do anything to hurt or harm you and the children. The fame is a part of me, Dave, a part of me that you knew from the beginning. You could have backed off, stayed away, when you learned of it. But you didn’t,” she said, her voice strained by all the emotions that were bubbling up inside her. “I’m willing to reduce the publicity work to an absolute minimum, and exert as much control as possible, but I’m not willing to give it up.”

His voice broke when he was about to speak so he started afresh after clearing his voice. “I couldn’t ask that of you. But… I need to feel safe. Do you understand that?”

Part of her was, oddly enough, detached, like an onlooker sitting in the armchair by the wardrobe, calmly watching the drama unfold before her. She was wondering how they’d gone from tense, to relatively happy, to overwhelmed by lust to… this.

“Yes.”

She closed her eyes and thought of her calm part in the armchair. She turned her head to look at him. The movement made her tears spill over, and they silently streamed down her cheeks. She was so scared of losing him, of losing him in the one place she deemed one of the safest in the world.

Dave drew her into his arms then, holding her closely. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, his breath warm on her neck. “I needed to hear it.”

“I know,” she sobbed. “I know it must be hard, my love. Trust me, and trust yourself.”

He pulled away from her, and for a heartbeat she was scared he’d withdraw, but instead he framed her face with his hands and leaned in for a kiss. He put all of himself in that kiss to tell her what she needed to know. His kiss was at once tender and passionate, and Rose was glad they were already in bed. He stole her breath and she gave herself over to the weightless feeling she experienced as their tongues met and brushed against each other.

They had to come up for breath at one point eventually, gasping but smiling, only to go back to kissing as soon as they’d had a chance to fill their lungs with air. Rose didn’t dwell too long on the mercurial shift in mood between them. She was happy, instead, that her reassurance had been exactly what he’d needed. She snuggled up closer to him, and as she did felt him harden against the top of her thigh. Tilting her pelves a little, she gauged his readiness to make love again.

“Rose,” he panted, pulling away.

“Dave.”

“Is it… okay if we do it again? And without a condom? I need to feel you around me, without the bloody thing,” he stammered.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” she replied, surprised by his request. Reaching between them, she took hold of him and gave him a few encouraging strokes. He hardened quickly, and without any further words Rose accommodated him between her legs as he shifted. When he tried to slide into her, he realised that he’d neglected her. Mumbling his apologies, he kissed her, drifting his right hand to her breast to play with her nipple. The caress came as a surprise and Rose gasped, arching into him. He’d not paid any attention the her breasts earlier, so he made up for it now. He knew she loved it when he touched them, and soon she felt herself melting in his care. When eventually he moved his hand to her folds, he found them wet and her bucking into his touch as he played with her clit as he had with her nipple.

Moaning his name, she claimed his mouth for another kiss. “I need you, now.”

“Aye, Rose,” he mumbled, aligning himself with her.

The feeling of him inside her without the latex between them was even more intoxicating and beautiful the second time round. Both of them were fully aware of it and enjoyed every minute of wet flesh sliding against wet flesh. Dave moved slowly and deeply at first, withdrawing from her so his tip was barely between her folds, and pushing back inside so slowly she had to force her eyes open to keep looking at him. “You’re so beautiful,” she moaned.

He replied with an adjustment of angle which forced her eyes shut as he stroked against particularly sensitive spots inside her. “ _You_ are beautiful, Rose,” he corrected her. “You’re so beautiful when I do this to you. I can’t get enough of you, just looking at you.”

“Dave,” she moaned, holding him closer to her, opening her legs a little more to allow him in even deeper. His groan was her reward, and they kept the slow game up for a while, having slated their thirst for each other earlier. Rose loved it when he was like this. She felt a connection with him, even if he was emotionally raw. It reminded her of their respective healing processes, and that they had found each other when they’d needed each other. But she also knew that they’d work through it.


	5. Five

Five

By the time everyone had assembled in the big dining room, the housekeeper showed in Donna, Lucy and Lily to join them. Dave and Donna had made arrangements in advance for the girls to remain in London rather than return to Glasgow on the coach with the rest of the students. The teachers were further reassured by the fact that Donna was going with them in the sleek black limousine that arrived to pick them up. Lucy told her family that her classmates hadn’t believed that the car would show up at all until the driver drove up right on time, handing Donna out of the back seat to meet them.

“You should have seen their faces,” Lucy giggled.

“Why can’t I ever be there when something exciting happens!” Ewan complained.

“You’ve had enough excitement to last you a lifetime, young man,” Dave replied as he moved to hug his daughter. He still couldn’t believe that soon she was really going to be his daughter. It was amazing how much a silly piece of paper mattered. It was going to be the same with his and Rose’s marriage certificate. “It’s good to have you with us,” he whispered to Lucy.

Lucy and Donna were shy at first when they met the Tylers, but they soon relaxed when they realised that they were perfectly normal people. Lily seemed her quiet self, but Dave sensed that Lily was not her usual quiet self. He cast a quick glance at Lucy, but the two girls sought each other’s proximity, so he ruled out a fight between them. He was distracted by watching Tony’s arrival. He’d come to see if he could pull the new arrivals into the games he and his new friends were playing, but quickly dismissed them as too grown up. The way his little face fell was almost comical.

Mrs Hudson, the housekeeper, was serving a veritable feast of a breakfast in the dining room. She excused the amount of food with the simple explanation that there were quite a few hungry mouths to feed, that it was Samhain and that there wouldn’t be any proper meal until after the party later that night. “Is Lily all right?” Dave asked Donna as they settled at the table.

Donna pursed her lips. “I’m not sure. There was an incident with her violin case at the hostel. I’m not sure what happened, probably a mix-up. It seemed to upset her a lot, but Lucy was able to make her feel better.”

It was Dave’s turn to purse his lips. He was sure that Lucy was capable of doing that for Lily. While he was happy for Lucy, he reckoned it would take him some time to get used to the fact that Lucy had someone outside the family to love. Of course, he’d known that it would eventually happen, but he’d always relied on the _eventually_ being far into the future. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was losing her just as she was truly becoming his daughter.

After breakfast, the women went on a shopping trip to the city, while the men, and Evie, explored the nearby planetarium and went on a speedboat ride along the Thames. During the 3D show in the domed theatre, which took them into the depths of space, he wondered what actually travelling in space and time was like. Rose had told him about it, but he still found it hard to imagine, particularly after his encounter with the Doctor and jumping universes himself. There hadn’t been much to it, he had to admit, but that made it only more mystifying. And the Doctor had looked so ordinary, which of course was compounded by the fact that he saw his face in every mirror, minus the mad hair and the sideburns.

“It is gobsmacking, isn’t it?” Pete said as they shepherded the children out of the auditorium.

“Aye,” Dave replied. He only fully understood then that Pete must feel a lot like he did, despite being the director of Torchwood. “Have you ever… travelled in space?”

“No. I’ve done some universe hopping, though,” Pete replied casually.

“Ah.”

“Met my share of aliens, though, and I suppose so will you, given enough time as a Torchwood agent’s husband.”

“Actually, I have met aliens. They just didn’t look much like it.”

“It’s rather mundane sometimes,” Pete confirmed. “Listen, Dave. If you want to talk about Torchwood, and… things, all you have to do is ask.”

Dave wanted to sigh in relief. “I’d like that very much, thanks, Pete.”

Pete grinned, but it wasn’t anywhere near the wide happy grin he flaunted at the public. “Us Tylers have to stick together, as my lovely wife always says.”

He guffawed. 

When they returned, the girls were still out, and so, after a warming cup of hot chocolate, they started to carve lanterns from turnips and went out into the park to collect fuel for the bonfire. Mrs Hudson wouldn’t let them make the soul cakes until the rest of the family was there as well, however, because she didn’t want to put up with the chaos in her kitchen twice.

Dave was taking photos when the girls returned from an obviously successful shopping trip. To his surprise, they dropped their bags in the hall and joined them in their Samhain preparations, quickly catching up with them. When they were finished, they had a respectably-sized bonfire with a ring of stones around it and the turnip lanterns, one for each of the present, were posed strategically to ward off evil spirits.

“Can we make cakes now?” Evie asked impatiently. She loved baking, and it clearly was the highlight of her day. 

“Yes, sweetheart,” Jackie said, lifting her up to carry her into the kitchen on her hip.

“How was your day?” Dave asked, nuzzling Rose’s neck as they hung back.

“Lovely. I bought some lovely things. And we got Lucy a replacement for what you destroyed.”

His eyes went wide and he pulled back. “You… what?”

“It was great fun. The things they have…”

“But,” he spluttered, “they aren’t allowed inside a sex shop.”

“There’s a new kind,” Rose replied, tapping the side of her nose. “They have an underage section now, which is accessible to anyone above sixteen in the company of a responsible adult.”

“You call yourself responsible?” he quipped.

“Yeah,” she replied. “If I take away the mystery of forbidden things and allegedly bad. It was suitably embarrassing to all of us, but we had a good giggle once we were outside. The staff were lovely, though.”

“You do realise that Lucy’s only fourteen.”

“She’s fifteen in a little over a month.”

“Not the point, my love,” he said.

“Are you mad at me?”

He wasn’t really. To be quite honest, he was grateful that Lucy trusted her enough to join her on adventures like this. And spared him the embarrassment. “So you bought her a replacement?”

“Yep.”

“You do know that I ordered one online before we left,” he said.

“Yep.”

She smiled, kissed him and tucked the tip of her tongue into the corner of her mouth. His groin was at once suffused with warmth as his cock understood the implication before his mind did. “Oh. Oh!”

Rose laughed and went to the kitchen sink to wash her hands and join the children in making the soul cakes.

“Ye aren’t serious about lighting the bonfires, though, are ye?” Lily asked Jackie as she tore a bit of dough off the large lump to form a neat little roll from it.

“Of course we are,” Jackie said. “You’ll be nice and toasty, and we’ll have hot chocolate and —”

“But what about the blackout!” Lily cried, so shocked by Jackie’s words that she dropped the ball of dough.

“Blackout?” Jackie asked.

Lucy took Lily’s hand. “There’s no blackout, Lily, remember? The war’s over,” she said gently. Realisation flickered in Jackie’s face, but Lily seemed reluctant to fully believe it. 

Dave saw Donna and Rose exchange meaningful glances, and he found himself frowning. What was wrong with Lily? She’d seemed to have been settling in so well. Was she having a serious flashback for exactly that reason?

Lily looked from Lucy to the adults for confirmation, and her eyes settled on Donna. It was amazing, really, how close they were already. “It’s safe, Lily. The war is over, and the fires tonight will be for Samhain alone.”

“Oh,” Lily said softly. “Oh, of course, I… I’m sorry. It’s just so… ingrained.”

“Of course, love. Don’t worry. You can always watch from indoors, if you’d rather. This one should be big enough to see across the river,” Jackie said.

Dave made a mental note to ask Lucy what was wrong with Lily, but he didn’t get a quiet moment with her until later, when they were putting on their coats to light the bonfire. Pete was already outside, setting up the barbecue for the last time that year under the watchful eyes of the boys.

“Lucy, sweetheart,” he said. “What’s wrong with Lily? She doesn’t seem herself today.”

Fear flashed in her eyes, and for a brief moment he was afraid she’d evade his question or brush it off, but apparently she was so worried that she was glad for the opportunity to open up. It was as if she’d waited for him to ask her. “I’m not sure, Dad. She seems so jumpy and forgetful. Perhaps it’s all bit much for her? Too much too soon? Like I was after… Mum died?”

He frowned. “But you didn’t forget things, did you?”

She shook her head.

“Did you fight?”

She shook her head again. “But it’s difficult. She’s having nightmares and I don’t know how to be there for her, Dad.”

He wrapped her in his arms, wishing he could help her more than just offer the comfort of his arms. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I wish I could help you but I’m afraid you’ll just have to be patient and be there for her. Unless you’d like one of us to talk with her?”

“I think Donna’s got that covered, but thanks. I’m so scared.”

His eyes widened. “Why’s that?”

“I don’t want to lose her.”

He didn’t know what to say; she was too old for the standard ‘every thing will be alright’. Besides, he wasn’t sure it was true. They certainly were empty words. “Be there for her. And do ask us for help, aye? We’re here, even if it sometimes seems… like I’m a control freak.”

“Ye’re not, Dad.”

“Och, Lucy,” he said, hugging her again, and this time, she returned the gesture.

Rose had observed them, and when Lucy was out of earshot, she took his arm and pulled him close. “Trouble?”

He sniffed. “I’m not sure. Lily’s not herself, and she is suffering from small lapses in her memory.”

“I’d noticed.”

Dave straightened immediately. “Is that bad?” His heart was starting to behave like something wild in his chest, something wild that was trying to get out. 

“I’m not sure. It’s probably a form of PTSD. I’ll talk to Donna and see if she’s got it covered, yeah?”

PTSD was an explanation, but it certainly wasn’t one he found easy to deal with. If that’s what it was that was ailing Lily, it would take a lot of hard work and patience to help her through it, and he wasn’t sure that Lucy was strong enough to deal with it on top of her own grief. He wondered if he should have arranged for professional counselling for all of them. They were doing so well, particularly after Rose’s and Lottie’s arrival, but for the first time he was beginning to wonder if there wasn’t something lying below the surface, getting ready to rear its ugly head. Like what appears to be happening to Lily.

He watched Lily and Lucy closely, and when they stood close by the fire, their fronts warm but their backsides cold, he wrapped an arm around the girl on either side of him and pulled them close. Together, they stared into the flames, and he could feel Lily relax gradually. It occurred to him only then that she might be uncomfortable so close to the fire because of both the fear of enemy aircraft, and the fires they had caused.

“Are ye all right, dearie?” he asked her softly. He wasn’t sure if she’d heard him over the roaring fire and the excited cries and squeals of the kids as they jumped and danced in the smoke. They’d all smell of the smoke the next day, and he made a mental note to take a bath with Rose later to avoid stinking up the bedclothes.

“I am now, thanks, Dave,” she said, but snuggled up closer to him.

“There’s naething to worry about. Dinnae ye have these at home?”

She shook her head.

He pressed a kiss to her temple, realising only after that he might have crossed a line with that, but Lily clung to him a little more tightly, so he, too, relaxed.

Later, they had the sausages Pete had made on the grill, roasted marshmallows on sticks over the dying bonfire and had hot chocolate, the hot ceramic tickling their cold hands pleasantly when usually it would have burned them. The turnip lanterns cast a ghostly light, and Dave took lots of photos, taking the time to explain some things to Lucy when he knew Lily was taken care of.

“It’ll be all right, aye?”

“Aye,” Lucy said, taking a beautiful candid of her girlfriend. Dave was impressed once more.

“You’re brilliant at this,” he said, taking the camera from her to examine the shot. She’d made the adjustments herself, and the lighting was perfect. “She’s beautiful. If you don’t mind my saying so.”

Lucy giggled. “Go on, take some photos of Rose. She’s beautiful too. And I’m glad you’re marrying her, and that she’ll be the wee ones’ step mum.”

“She can be yours, too, ye know.”

“Aye, I do.” To his surprise, she rose to the balls of her feet and kissed his cheek. She hadn’t done that in a long time, and he was so surprised that she laughed when she saw his expression and added another kiss. Was it just him or was Lily a good influence on his daughter?

He was pondering why Lily seemed so troubled, when Jackie approached him. She had brought a glass of something orange and bubbly for him, and he took it automatically. “Ta.”

“I love your work, you know,” she said, waving at his camera. He slung it over his head and shoulder for safe-keeping. “The new publicity material for the National Heritage Trust is going to be beautiful. I think _you_ ought to put together the coffee table book. Or maybe you could write a little guide for the amateur photographers who visit the sites and want gorgeous photos too. What do you think?” She sipped her drink, keeping a watchful eye on the children. They were huddled around the fire with glowing cheeks, roasting marshmallows and telling each other very short, very gruesome ghost stories.

“Oh… that, that sounds good, aye,” Dave stammered.

“Don’t say yes straight away. Sleep on it. I’ll have to, too,” she said, giggling.

“So ye’ve just had the idea, eh?” he grinned.

Jackie shrugged and playfully bumped his arm with her shoulder; it was amazing how similar she and Rose were. He could see the same in Lucy, too, but he tried not to dwell on the fact, and he’d never tell Lucy.

“It’s amazing how well the children get on with each other, isn’t it?”

He nodded, sipping his drink. They had added some fancy Italian sirup that took the slightly tangy edge off the French sparkling wine. Rose chose that moment to join them. She wrapped her arm around his midriff and clinked glasses with them. He pulled her against his side. “What’s the occasion?”

“Having you here,” Jackie said, “so I can tell you that this time next year you’ll have another little brother or sister. Not sharing ghost stories, obviously, but —”

“You’re pregnant?” Rose gasped.

Jackie beamed. “Yeah. Found out a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to tell you in person.”

“That’s wonderful, congratulations,” Dave beamed. 

“You never said you wanted another baby,” Rose said, passing her glass to him so she could hug her mother.

“That’s because he came along as a little surprise,” Jackie said.

“A good surprise, apparently,” Dave grinned. “Like Evie.”

“How far along are you?”

“Oh, it’s only the eleventh week, and I know it’s a bit early to tell, but… I couldn’t wait.”

“So I’m going to be an uncle,” Dave said.

“Yeah, I suppose so. You don’t have any brothers or sisters, do you?” Jackie asked.

“No, unfortunately not.”

Rose had returned to his side, and she was clinging to him a bit more tightly this time. He could see that her smile was genuine but at the same time there was an underlying sadness to it that he couldn’t quite explain and that therefore cut even deeper.

Later, when they were getting ready for bed, Rose was lost in thought as she towel-dried her hair. She stood in front of the mirror unseeing, the wooden comb loose in her fingers. Dave took it and set to working it through her dark tresses. “Penny for your thoughts,” he said when he was done, kissing the top of her head. His words roused her and she looked at him in the mirror.

“I’m just… happy for Mum.”

“Happy looks different.” He grinned at her to underscore his point.

“I just… I just thought that some day I’d be the one to tell her I’m having a baby, but instead it’s always the other way round,” she blurted.

“Oh. Oh, Rose, my love.” He stopped there. He didn’t know what else to say, but he could see tears pooling in her eyes. “Want me to hold you?”

She nodded, her tears spilling over. She turned away from the mirror and leaned into him, hiding her face in his bare chest and wrapping her arms tightly around him. He held her, starting to sway to some unheard music after a while.

When she was ready to let go, he framed her face and kissed her, reaching for a tissue from the box on the counter.

“I love you,” was all he could say that wasn’t a lie.

It had the desired effect. Rose smiled as she cleaned herself up. He slid between the sheets to warm them and he waited for her to join him. They didn’t make love, but it was good to hold her naked body against his and to just lie there and caress each other lazily. “I love you too, Dave,” Rose whispered eventually, kissing his chest. “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“Everything and all that.”

“Ah, that,” he smiled and nuzzled her hairline.


	6. Six

Six

Rose started wearing her engagement ring the morning after Samhain, and talk about the wedding and getting her paperwork in order for both the registry office and the adoption court seemed to distract her. They had sworn the children to secrecy about it the night before they left for London, and Evie was almost comically upset when she noticed that Rose had put on the ring.

“Rose,” she stage whispered excitedly the morning after the bonfire. “You’re wearing The Ring!”

“Yeah, that’s all right, sweetheart. Mum and Dad know,” Rose said.

“But—” Evie was understandably upset. They’d wanted to break the news to the Tylers with the children present, and Evie in particular had been looking forward to the event.

“Mum sussed me out.”

“Oh.” Evie’s disappointment changed to a death glare.

They laughed. 

“It’s nae funny!” Evie cried.

“No, it’s not,” Rose said. She was the first to sober. She pulled Evie onto her lap and wrapped her arms around her, nuzzling her dark hair. “I know you’re disappointed. But there’s some other exciting news.”

Evie turned around to check Rose’s sincerity. “Really?”

“Yes,” Jackie piped in. “Rose is going to have another little brother or sister. Soon you’ll have another uncle or aunt to play with.”

Dave reached for Rose’s hand beneath the table to give her a reassuring squeeze. Her smile even reached her eyes, and she mouthed “I know” at him.

He kept a close eye on both Rose and Lily for the rest of their stay in London, but both women seemed to have recovered from their respective ghosts. Lily was a little scatterbrained, and Rose was wistful; she’d look at the bairns with a longing he hadn’t seen in her eyes before. There were several occasions when he had to hold back so he didn’t tell her that he was sure they’d have a child together one day, and even if they didn’t that wasn’t so bad. Adopting his three just wasn’t the same as having one of her own.

Dave wanted to talk about it to someone other than Rose, but he didn’t want to approach either Jackie or Pete, and talking to Donna didn’t feel appropriate either. On their last morning in London, while shaving, he realised that it was a question he would have liked to ask the Doctor. Sighing, he dipped the razor into the water and then rinsed it under the tap while he drained the basin.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Rose said, coming into the en suite to dry her hair. She circled her arm around his waist and met his gaze in the mirror as he looked up.

“I just realised that we’ll need to set a date soonish, depending on when you’d like to go ahead with the adoption.” He only half-lied. It had occurred to him before, only there hadn’t been a chance to tell her.

“Yeah, Dad mentioned that too,” she said, smiling. “Did you have any particular date in mind?”

He pulled the towel off the rack, patting his skin dry to buy some time. “No, not really. I hadn’t thought about it because we’d talked about not rushing things. It seems... a bit early still.”

“It’s not about Saturday night, is it?” Rose asked, tightening her grip around his waist.

“No. Not, it’s not that at all. It’s… sometimes I feel as if I’m in the middle of a dream,” he said.

She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed his freshly-shaven cheek. “Yeah, I know. I was just thinking we ought to give the bairns as much reassurance as possible.”

He ducked his head. He still felt terrible for disappointing them like he had. And Rose was right, of course, as she so often is. It was part of her job, he supposed. It could be very dangerous, so she needed to make sure that everything would be taken care of in case of an unhappy ending. “Did your parents know about you trying to get back to the Doctor?” he asked.

Rose blinked. “That’s quite a mental leap.”

“You always take care of the people around you, so… I thought that's what you did. Tell them about the Dimension Cannon.”

“I told them,” she said. “While I was travelling with the Doctor I went missing for a year. The police suspected Mickey of murdering me. Mum put up missing posters of me all over the place.”

Dave’s heart sank. He could imagine the horrors Jackie had gone through. “What happened?”

“The Doctor had miscalculated; we’d meant to be gone only twelve hours.”

“Instead you returned twelve _months_ later.”

“Yeah. But even if that hadn’t happened, I’d never have left Mum without telling her where I was going. The Doctor gave me a SuperPhone so we could stay in touch,” she said. “So of course I told them about my plans.”

“Did they understand?”

“Yes. They weren’t even surprised. I was pretty heartbroken. Which doesn’t mean that they liked the idea of losing me, but they… understood.”

Dave turned and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m going to say something horrible.”

“Oh?”

“I’m glad it didn’t work. I just wish you’d have come out of it unhurt.”

“I’m going to say something horrible,” Rose echoed.

“Oh?”

“I needed to _be_ badly hurt. I wouldn’t have given up otherwise.”

The space around Dave’s heart went cold and he drew Rose close. “That _is_ horrible.”

“I know,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “But don’t worry about me, yeah? I said goodbye to the Doctor and I have a brilliant life now.”

“It feels so unreal sometimes,” Dave said.

“Yeah.” She pulled back a little. “Promise me something?”

“Anything.”

“Tell me when grieving is difficult. I’d like to help.”

He smiled. “See? That’s what I was thinking about earlier. You try to take care of everything.”

“Is that bad?”

“Yes and no. It must be exhausting.”

Rose didn’t reply. He rested his chin on top of her head, taking in the scent of her damp hair. “Same rule applies to you, of course,” he said eventually.

She made a non-committal sound against his chest, so he chose to accept it as acquiescence. Eventually, she let go of him to get ready for breakfast, and he debated combing her hair but decided against it. He loved doing it for her, and it usually took a good while longer than if she did it herself. As much as he loved staying at the Tylers’, he was eager to get on the road. It was going to be a long drive back. The weather forecast had promised rain for the night, and he wanted to be home by the time it got really nasty.

-:-

The accident was bad enough to completely wreck Rose’s car, but somehow none of the three women were seriously injured. They suffered a few cuts and bruises, mostly the kind caused by the safety belts, and Rose sprained both her wrists. Lily's father was a doctor and had given her some basic medical training, and she was able to take care of Lucy and Rose. By the time any of the three was able to think clearly, Dave and the kids were almost back at the house on Hillingdon Drive.

“Is my cello okay?” Lily asked when the paramedic draped a blanket over her shoulders.

“One should think your mum and sister are more important,” the paramedic replied softly.

“I took care of them, they’re all right,” Lily mumbled, looking at him. “Please, Sir? Is my cello all right?”

The paramedic smiled and gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “I’ll go and check for you, okay?”

“Thank you, Sir,” she said.

“What’s more important: Are you all right, love?” Rose asked, experimentally twisting her bandaged wrists. They hurt, but the bandages took the edge off. It was a psychological trick, she knew, but it worked.

“Aye, aye, I am,” Lily said, her eyes wild. “Is my cello all right?”

“The paramedic is looking after it,” Rose insisted.

Lucy draped her arm around Lily’s shoulder, and while Lily stiffened at first, she soon sagged against Lucy, hiding her face in the crook of her neck. She wasn’t crying, however, and Rose wondered how she could be so strong. Rose looked at the twisted lump of metal that used to be her car, and she wondered again how they’d gotten out of it relatively unharmed. The other cars looked just as bad, and, as far as she could tell, so did their passengers.

“What the hell has just happened?” she wondered.

“A madman overtaking in this nightmare of a rainstorm,” Lucy said, raising her voice over the rain pelting the roof of the ambulance. Her lips had taken on a bluish tinge despite the blanket, and Rose looked around for another. She shifted from the seat she’d been given to the gurney on which the girls were sat, wrapping her arm around Lucy from the other side to keep her warm.

“Does Dad know?” she asked eventually.

“No, I don’t think so,” Lily said.

“He’ll worry. Please, call him,” Lucy said, looking at her girlfriend.

“Sure, love.”

Rose removed her mobile from her pocket. She usually didn’t keep it there when she was driving, particularly not long distances. She had no idea why she had this morning, but now she was glad for it. She drew up Dave’s number and hit the connect button after taking a deep breath.

Her heart was beating so fast it was taking her breath away. She quickly passed the phone to Lily. She accepted the device and held it to her ear like someone who was unfamiliar with this form of communication. Well, she was, despite all those weeks she’d been here.

“Dave?” she asked tentatively. “It’s Lily. Innes.”

Rose tightened her grip around the girl’s shoulders. Lily oughtn’t be making that call. It was her job. She was in charge of the girls.

“There… there was an accident on the motorway. But we’re all right, Dave, really, we are,” she said.

“Gimme,” Rose said, still feeling numb, but at least her heart wasn’t trying to break out of the confines of her chest any more. Lily obliged her, sagging further against Lucy as the burden was taking off her. “Dave?”

“Rose! Rose, love! What happened?”

“There… there was an accident,” she repeated stupidly. “The car’s wrecked, but we’re all right. Dave?”

“Oh, my God.”

“We _are_ all right, Dave.”

He didn’t reply.

“Dave? We’re all right. Lily took care of us until the ambulance arrived. Just a few cuts and bruises. I’ve sprained my wrists.” She rotated her left wrist experimentally, as if to show him.

“Honestly?”

“Yeah. Would you like to talk to Lucy?”

His reply was barely audible. Rose passed the phone on to Lucy, who took the mobile with shaking fingers. “We’re all right, Dad,” she said, not giving Dave a chance to say anything. “Rose isn’t sugarcoating anything. We _are_ all right. Aye?”

“Aye. What… what happens now?”

“We’re being taken to hospital. Just to make sure.”

“Tell him I’ll call Mickey to pick us up. I don’t want Dave fetching us,” Rose said.

“Did ye hear that, Dad?”

Apparently, he did. Lucy returned the phone to Rose. “Oh Rose. Is it bad?”

“Yeah, pretty bad. But as the girls said, we’re all right,” she said. “Don’t wait up for us.”

“Are you kidding? Of course I’ll wait up. We all will, probably,” he said.

Rose’s heart clenched. That was exactly what she didn’t want. “Please don’t. You all need your sleep.”

“I’m not going to bed. I want to make sure you’re back with me safe and sound. All three of ye.”

-:-

She could tell that Dave was torn between making sweet love and fucking her into next Tuesday that night. As soon as she’d closed the bedroom door behind her, he grabbed her and held her close, kissing her desperately. It was only when they separated that she became aware of his tears. She wiped them away and held him.

“I’m so sorry, Dave.” She’d known all the time, of course, that the accident would crush him, but she had no idea how bad it really was. She let him undress her and lay her down on the bed so he could assess her injuries and make sure the doctors at the hospital hadn’t missed anything. And before she knew it, he was inside her, a little more roughly than usual, because really, she wasn’t aroused at all. His touch had been caring rather than seductive.

“Dave,” she said, taking his shoulders to make him stop. “Dave, love.”

It took a while for the words to sink in. When Dave stopped burying himself inside her in one agonisingly slow movement, he looked at her wide-eyed. “I’m not… comfortable,” she said.

“Oh… Oh! I’m so sorry, Rose. My love. Oh God, what was I thinking?”

The magnitude of her accident was only beginning to sink in when their bodies knew exactly what they needed. 

“’s all right. Jus’… just I’m not exactly… wet,” she said.

“God, I’m so sorry, Rose.” He slid out of her, and to be honest, she felt better for it.

She cupped his cheek so he didn’t have a chance to move too far away. She wanted — needed — him to make love to her, she just needed to be ready. “It’s the only place you haven’t checked. And you can touch my breasts. It looks worse than it is, yeah?”

“God, Rose, I could have lost you today, you and Lucy and Lily. And all I can think of is f —”

“Go on, say it.”

He stared at her. She smiled at him encouragingly. “Fucking you.”

“I _want_ you to fuck me.”

His gaze darkened. “Rose. You’ve just had —”

“I was terrified, Dave,” she said, realising only when the words left her mouth that this was how she’d felt. And still did. The sneaky itch crept into her nostrils, painfully so. “I need… I need you to make me feel something other than terror. Please?”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t.”

He plucked her hand from his cheek and leaned down for a kiss. She opened up beneath him at once, and when his tongue moved tenderly against hers, so terribly tenderly, she pushed him away to plunder his mouth and show him that she was ready for this. It also occurred to her that tonight it might be a better idea for her to be on top until he’d regained confidence and was sure he wasn’t going to hurt her.

Rose rolled them so Dave was lying on his back, draping herself over him in their mutual need to feel as much skin against skin as possible. When they came up for breath and Rose stroked his face and wove her fingers into his hair she said, “Marry me.”

“Yes.” He took her hand and kissed the finger that usually bore his ring. The ring sat safely on her bedside table, where she usually put it before hopping into the shower. 

“As soon as possible, Dave. Let’s go to the registry office tomorrow.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he considered her suggestion, and for a few moments she was afraid he’d turn her down and ask her to wait. “It’s Sunday tomorrow, love.”

“Monday then?”

“Aye. Let’s do that.”

Now it was her turn to take a moment. “You really mean it?”

He nodded. “The sooner we are married, the sooner the adoptions will go through. And after today… what if it had been me, and what if… God, Rose, your wee little car!”

“Forget the car.”

“No, I can’t. It’s so wee. It’s beyond me how you go out of it in one piece. All three of you,” he said.

Rose wanted to tell him that Lily’s cello had been damaged beyond repair, but that was hardly the point. “Don’t dwell on it. The most important thing is that we are safe and sound.”

She kissed him again, and this time Dave moved more confidently with her.

“I’ll have to make sure you’re all right,” he said, flipping them again. When he kissed and caressed her skin this time, it was more like a lover, but he was still being exceedingly sweet about it. Rose opened her legs to accommodate him better as he slid along her body, his cock stirring again, and she screamed involuntarily as he fastened his mouth on her sex.

“Shush, Rose. You’ll wake the bairns.”

“They won’t be able to sleep anyway,” she murmured, threading her fingers through his gorgeous thick locks.

“Please.”

“It’s difficult. You’re very good at this.”

He grinned. “Well then,” he rasped, lowering his mouth to her labia again, taking each lip between his to lick and squeeze them.

Rose clamped her free hand over her mouth and arched into him, trying to stifle her moans. As her grip became too painful she dropped her hand to the bed and fisted the sheets instead, feeling Dave relax a little in relief. She was dimly aware of the connection between them, but only appreciated it fully when her own taste exploded on her tongue while Dave was still lapping at her. The softness of her skin there was incredible, and the way his hand fit the crease of thigh and hip, how her hipbone pushed into the deepest part of his palm was nothing short of mysterious. 

“Dave!” she gasped when she realised what was happening. “Don’t make me come, please.”

He stopped immediately, his gaze confused.

“What was that?”

“That is… a telepathic link between us. I… I thought I… but please, Dave. If you make me come now —”

“I’ll come too. With you. Without even… being inside you. Physically.”

She blinked, panting. “Is that what you want?”

He shook his head.

“Then come. Fuck me. And don’t be afraid. I’ll not break.”

He crept up her body, his chin glistening and leaving behind damp spots where he marked her skin with his kisses. “Is the link broken?”

“No.”

“Then see that it doesn’t. I want… I want to give this a try. I need intense right now.”

“Be careful what you wish for.”

He kissed her, this time with all the passion she knew he had in him. She helped him nestle the head of his cock between her folds and he slid home with exactly the agonising slowness he’d used earlier. He groaned louder than usual as the pleasure he experienced was enhanced by hers on top of his own. “Oh, Rose.”

 _Fuck me, Dave. Please,_ she thought.

_Aye._

He set up a punishing rhythm right from the start, which was proof of their mutual need for each other, and Rose tried to meet his thrusts as best she could, wrapping her legs around his hips to help him along, to draw him deeper inside her. A brief thought flashed through the tiny part of her brain that was still able of conscious thought. _Condom._

 _Sod the condom,_ she thought, _I’m on the pill._

Dave became increasingly vocal as their sensations mingled. The feeling of sliding in and out of her warmth was added to by feeling so full and being touched in all the right places, and oh, she was so safe as he made love to her, and he’d never know just how much she loved him. _Come for me, Dave._ It was becoming unbearable.

“Rose!” he barked as her muscles tightened around him. Almost in response his seed pulsed into her, warm and wet, and she didn’t want to let go of him. Her warmth against his skin was wonderful, and he allowed himself to sink deeper into the white starry sky that gently faded into welcoming darkness.

Rose was by herself again. Dave lay on top of her, his dead weight pressing her into the mattress, their mixed juices beginning to trickle out of her. She’d warned him that the link was going to overwhelm him, but she took his reaction as a compliment anyway. Shifting a little, she accommodated him better, planting her feet on the mattress to build a cradle for him.


	7. Seven

Part Two

  
_But you saw no fault, no cracks in my heart  
And you knelt beside, my hope torn apart_  
— Mumford & Sons, _Ghosts That We Knew_

Seven

Insistent knocking on the door dragged him up through several layers of sleep until he was dimly aware of his surroundings. He still felt the effects of the bond he and Rose had shared. The bond he and Rose had shared had been incredibly beautiful, if exhausting. Their shared orgasm left him tingling all over, the spot at the back of his head flaring contentment. Tightening his grip on her shoulder, he groaned softly, shifting a little to be closer yet to Rose’s naked skin.

The banging persisted.

“Dad! Dad! Please, wake up, Dad!”

His eyes snapped open as the words sank in. This was Lucy’s voice, and she sounded panicked. He disentangled himself carefully from Rose and quickly pulled on his pyjama bottoms. There wasn’t time for more. A closed bedroom door in this house meant no disturbing unless it’s an emergency. While there had been a couple of false alarms, Lucy was old enough and sensible enough to tell the difference between monsters under the bed and burglars in the lounge.

He opened the door and joined her in the hall, not wanting to wake Rose. Lucy’s hair was a mess, and in the pale moonlight the cuts in her face stood out starkly against her fair skin. A bruise was blooming on her forehead, and she wore only a baggy t-shirt.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked, his voice gravelly from sex and sleep.

Tears began streaming down her face at his gentle question. “It’s Lily, Dad. She won’t wake.”

“Why? It’s the middle of the night and you’ve just survived an accident.” It was good that she was sleeping. “You should be asleep too.”

“No, Dad!” she cried desperately. “You don’t understand!”

“What’s wrong, Lucy?” he asked, her urgency rousing him fully.

“Lily won’t wake. She’s not asleep. She’s unconscious and I can’t wake her. I’ve tried slaps and cold water, but she… she won’t wake!” she explained, tears and helplessness lacing her voice.

Dave still had problems understanding why Lucy would want Lily awaken in the middle of the night, but he pushed the thought aside. “Let me see,” he said, starting towards her bedroom.

“Dad! She’s not… I mean… don’t move the sheets, okay? Please?”

When he entered the room and saw Lily lying there covered only in the sheet, he understood. The air was ripe with the smell of sex. He blushed furiously as a shiver passed through him. His daughter and Lily had had sex before Lily lost conscience. He sat on the edge of the ridiculously narrow bed, and touched Lily’s neck to feel her pulse. “How long has she been like this?”

“I don’t know.” Lucy wrung her hands. “A quarter of an hour?”

That seemed a bit long, and while Lily’s jugular throbbed reassuringly, he had no idea if that was a good sign or not. He, too, tried to rouse her, but Lucy was right. Lily was out cold. “Right. Get dressed and stay with her, keep her warm. Roll her onto her side. I’m getting help.”

Lucy looked at him wide-eyed. He stepped towards her and gave her a quick hug, dismissing the thought that in their states of dishabille it might be a little awkward. But she needed reassurance, and propriety be damned, he’d give her what she needed. He kissed her forehead as he withdrew. “It’s going to be okay, aye?”

Instead of challenging him, she nodded.

“D’ye know what ye have to do?”

She nodded again.

“Good. I’m going to make some calls.”

First, however, he checked on Rose. She had woken and looked at him, her eyes glittering in the light that fell from the hall onto the bed. “Hey,” she said, reaching out for him across the rumpled expanse of the sheets. “I missed you.”

“Something’s wrong with Lily. Can you call Donna and Dominic?”

Rose sat up, clutching the sheet to her. “What?” She was wide awake at once.

He picked up his vest and pulled it on over his head. “She’s unconscious, and we can’t rouse her.”

Rose reached for her mobile and called Torchwood, getting whichever of the physicians on duty that night. He rushed back to Lucy’s room to give her a chance to get dressed while he watched over Lily. Lucy had tucked the sheets firmly around her girlfriend’s naked body to give her at least a modicum of decency and to keep her warm against the chill coming in through the open window. Rose checked in on them briefly before she went downstairs to make some tea and let in their late-night visitors. He looked at the alarm clock on Lucy’s bedside table. It was just gone four in the morning. He’d barely slept two hours since he’d gotten _the girls_ back in one piece. 

Of course, Evie woke too. She stumbled about the house like one of the boys’ old remote controlled cars, and eventually, he put her to sleep on the sofa. He remained sitting with her, caressing her hair as he listened to sounds from upstairs. Dominic had arrived earlier, and he’d hurried upstairs with two massive black cases, cases, that, Dave thought, would never fit on the floor in Lucy’s room and still leave the doctor space to move about. It was high time they found a bigger place.

Upstairs, however, was quiet until he heard them coming down the stairs. Dominic was carrying a still unconscious Lily. They had dressed her in a pair of Lily’s pyjama bottoms and a loose sweat shirt. Lucy and Rose followed him, each carrying one of the big cases.

He looked at them expectantly.

“I’m taking her to the Priory. Donna will be waiting there for us,” Dominic said.

“What’s wrong with her?” Dave asked.

“She’s deeply unconscious, but I have no idea why. It certainly isn’t Lucy’s fault,” he added for his daughter’s benefit, who looked very shaken.

“We’re going to the Priory too,” Rose said. “I’ll call you as soon as we know more.”

“But, you need to rest, love. Both of ye,” he protested feebly, knowing that going back to sleep was impossible for either woman. He sighed. “Of course. Take care, aye?” He kissed first Rose’s, then Lucy’s cheek. Dominic bundled Lily into the rear of the car after Lucy had gotten in to hold her and then they were off into the night.

-:-

Dave was startled to wakefulness by his mobile. It wandered noisily across the coffee table as it was set to both vibration and sound. He grabbed the phone and sat heavily on the table, caressing Evie as she, too, woke.

“Rose?”

“It’s Jackie.”

She sounded upset and worried, and Dave closed his eyes, scrubbing his hand over his face. “Hello, Jackie.”

“Where is Rose? How is she?” Jackie demanded, anger taking the upper hand.

“She’s fine, but she had to go to Torchwood,” he said, also for Evie’s benefit.

“She was in such a terrible accident and she’s back at work?” Jackie asked, indignant with who, exactly, he couldn’t tell. It took his sleep-addled brain a while to come round. He peered at Evie’s watch. It was seven in the morning. On a Sunday.

“There was a complication last night,” he said.

“What complication?”

He groaned. He wasn’t doing this right. “Jackie, hang on a moment, please. I’ve just… I haven’t had a cuppa and I can’t think straight yet.”

“I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“How do you know about the accident?”

“It’s all over the morning papers!” Jackie cried. “Complete with photos and horror scenarios. The car looks a fright, and I —”

“Rose is fine. She suffered a few cuts and bruises, but they released her from hospital last night with some painkillers and the instruction to rest,” Dave said. He wondered how bad the articles in the newspapers were. “The same applies to Lucy and Lily.”

There was a short pause. “I’m sorry, Dave, I… of course your little girl was in the accident as well. How are they doing?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. There was an incident with Lily last night, which is why Rose had to go to the Priory. But we don’t know if it’s related to the accident.” He prayed that was not the case. If it was, and if the doctors at the hospital had overlooked something, then woe betide them.

“How bad is it?”

“I don’t know,” he said, enunciating the words very clearly in order to keep his growing frustration at bay. “She should be calling me any minute now. But listen, Jackie. They were fine last night, albeit quite shaken. I’m sure Rose will call you as soon as possible.”

“I’m not sure she will if she’s cooped up at the Priory. She and Pete tend to forget about time and the outside world when there’s a crisis.”

Dave sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. He couldn’t blame Rose; he was the same way when he was having a flow experience. Another thought occurred to him. “Should we do something about the press? I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of this being blown out of proportion, especially for the girls’ sake,” he said.

“I’ll get right on it. We loved having you here. I’m sorry it had to end the way it did,” Jackie said.

“It’s nae yer fault, Jackie,” he said. He, too, would have liked to blame someone, anyone.

A knock on the door forced him to end the call. It was Sarah, sweaty in her running outfit, with a green plastic bag from the corner shop down the street, and a whole bundle of papers under her arm. “It’s mental,” she said, shaking her head.

Dave stepped aside to let her enter, and as soon as he’d taken the bag and papers from her, Evie launched herself at Sarah to hug her.

“Would you like a shower while we’re getting breakfast ready?” he asked.

Sarah gaped at him.

“Sorry, it’ll give me something to do. And an excuse not to look at these,” he said, waving the morning papers at her.

“Sure.”

He smiled and preceded her up the stairs to provide her with a towel and soap, plus one of Rita’s bigger t-shirts and a sweater so she didn’t have to wear her damp things any more. Then he sent Evie to the downstairs bathroom for a quick wash.

Dave gave the newspapers a wide berth as he got breakfast ready. Before returning to Hillingdon Drive the previous night, they had stopped at the supermarket for some basic breakfast food. The plan had been to go shopping for more later today, when they’d all had some rest. But that wasn’t going to happen now, he figured.

“Dad?” Evie asked upon her return from the breakfast table, where she’d carefully deposited a pitcher of orange juice.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Where are Rose and the girls? What happened?”

Sighing, he crouched. “I don’t know. Rose hasn’t called me yet.”

“That was the doctor who helped Paul, wasn’t it?” she asked, sounding brave at first but then her emotions got the better of her. The tag was lost in a hiccough, which was followed by tears.

“Yes, sweetheart, that was Dominic.”

“Please, Dad? They’re not going to die, aye?”

Her plea took his breath away, and for a few awful moment he didn’t know what to say. He hated himself for not knowing what was going on, and he hated Rose a little for not calling him, or the girls, for that matter.

“No one’s going to die,” Sarah said, joining them. Thankfully, Evie sought comfort in her arms, and Dave sat heavily on the floor, his thighs burning from the lack of exercise. _I really ought to take up footie practise again,_ he thought dumbly.

Evie was sobbing heart-wrenchingly by now, and Dave felt himself tearing up. The shock of the news was only now beginning to make itself felt, but it did so with all its blunt force.

The boys arrived then, reluctantly joining them, scared by the tension in the hall. They looked at each other for support, both of them paling. “What happened?” Ewan finally asked.

Dave cursed himself for losing it like this in front of the kids. He told them about the nighttime incident.

“And you haven’t called Rose yet?” Ewan asked in disbelief.

Dave opened and closed his mouth. He could tell them that Jackie had called and then Sarah had arrived, and really, that there hadn’t been any time. But that was all rubbish.

Ewan grabbed his phone from the so called phone booth — the shelf over the radiator on which each of them had a basket for their mobile and the charger, so they could pick it up before leaving the house. “Ewan!” Dave managed to say, but it was too late. His son had Rose’s mobile on speed dial, and he’d already hit the connect button.

“Rose?” Ewan asked with a trembling voice that betrayed his worry. He sat on the bottom riser of the stairs. 

“Ewan,” Dave said again, getting up. At least Evie seemed to calm down in Sarah’s arms.

“Dad said something’s wrong with Lily. Is that true?” Ewan asked, wasting no time on niceties.

“When will you be home?” Ewan looked up and finally passed his phone on to Dave.

“Hello, love. How are you feeling?” Dave asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Liar.”

“I might be a little sore from the accident,” she said. He had some trouble understanding her because the bairns all started talking at once as they quizzed their brother about his conversation with Rose. Dave fled to the first floor.

“What about Lucy?”

Rose sighed. “She won’t leave Lily. It’s much like she was with Paul. God, Dave, I’m so sorry you have to go through something like this again.”

His heart sank and he was momentarily dizzy. “It’s not The Illness, is it?” The Sheeryan and Dominic had assured him that The Illness was neither contagious nor likely to afflict anyone ever again.

“No, it isn’t,” Rose said gently. “But we don’t know what it is. It’s not an injury that was overlooked or dismissed by the hospital, though.”

“Thank God,” Dave said, sitting heavily on the bed. He’d been terrified of what might have happened if that was the case. “So you’re all right, you and Lucy?”

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

He took a deep breath. “How’s Donna?”

“We can’t keep her away from the infirmary,” Rose said.

“Jackie called. Someone leaked the story of your accident to the papers,” Dave said. He’d not meant to tell her, to not burden her unnecessarily, but he didn’t want to upset her by keeping this from her. She didn’t like it when decisions were made for her.

“Photos?”

“I… I haven’t had a chance to look at them yet. Sarah says it’s pretty bad. The car must look… Well. Anyway. Jackie’s on it, and Robin and Stuart will be too once they've had a chance to read the papers,” Dave said.

Rose sighed again. “Anna’s going to go ballistic.”

He chuckled. “Aye. Leave her to me. Is there anything we can do?”

“If you could spare an hour or two later on, it’d be great if you could bring us proper clothes. I forgot to put a spare set of clothes in my room after the last case. And you might want to talk to Lucy,” she added.

“Of course.”

There was a brief silence.

“I really am fine, Dave. And I’m sorry that the press had to pick up on this, on top of everything else.”

“Aye.”

“We’ll talk later, yeah?”

He didn’t have much choice, so he acquiesced.

The morning went past in a mad rush. Anna, Robin and Beattie came personally to check on Lucy, and Dave had had just enough time to ask the bairns and Sarah not to breathe a word to them about Rose’s and Lucy’s whereabouts. He felt bad about excluding Lily, but they didn’t know about her relationship with Lucy yet, and this was not a good time to break the news to them. Besides, Dave wanted to leave that up to Lucy, even though she might choose to tell them in his presence. As far as they were concerned, Rose and Lucy were still in hospital for observation. Which wasn’t a lie, only that they were the ones observing.

Anna was predictably ballistic, Robin was reduced to a worse case of thesauritis than ever, promising to do everything he could, while Beattie looked on sorrowfully and put all her sympathy into hugging the bairns.

Stuart called, offering to drop by later, which Dave declined. “I’ll make sure that they get adequate compensation,” Stuart promised.

“Sod the compensation, Stuart,” Dave said in an uncharacteristic outburst. He cupped his forehead and took a deep breath before continuing. “Thank you, Stuart, but I don’t think that’ll be necessary. People might start to think we’re getting involved in accidents to earn a living.”

Stuart didn’t reply at once. “Yeah, sorry. That was… too professional. Again. Occupational hazard.”

“I suppose we’re all a bit upset. I’ll call you as soon as there’s news. It’d be nice if you could do something about the press, though.”

Glad for the chore, Stuart rang off.

Dave decided to call Murray before his Dad had to find out through the horrible reports. Provided the weather had been finer up in Carlinburn his father was bound to have had a late night; chances were he’d wake him, but that was preferable to the alternative.

“Dad?” Dave said when Murray answered the phone after the third ring.

“Dave, m’boy. Tell me, are they all right?”

This time, Dave couldn’t pull himself together. Images of Rita mingled with those his imagination provided of last night’s accident, and the horror rolled over him like an avalanche of mud, suffocating and cold.


	8. Eight

Eight

Rose opened the sliding glass door to Lily’s room. Dominic had put her in the same room Paul had occupied in the summer. After all the time she’d spent there with Paul, any time she set foot in the ICU was be too soon, but here she was stepping across the threshold, again. She was glad, however, that the Priory’s infirmary was so sophisticated that Dominic was able to treat her. Or, rather, take care of her for the moment, because they had no idea what ailed Lily. Dominic had declared her comatose for reasons unknown. So far, the tests he’d run had come back inconclusive, negative or were yet to be completed. 

The monitor above her bed was activated, displaying her vital signs. Lucy sat by her side, her back to the foyer, the monitor displaying her vitals signs blinked above them. She was still, so Rose had no idea if she was awake or asleep. She hoped it was the latter, because Heaven knew she’d had little chance to sleep since breakfast the previous day.

“Lucy, sweetheart?” Rose whispered.

Lucy stirred with a start, and Rose cursed herself for rousing her from her slumber. “What is it?” Lucy asked, blinking into the bright lights of the ICU.

“I’ve just been on the phone to Dave. He’s coming with a set of fresh clothes and toiletries later. Mickey has just returned with coffee and breakfast,” she said.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You haven’t had anything decent since this time yesterday, love,” Rose reminded her. She didn’t count the lunchtime sandwich, a limp and bland affair, they’d had at the rest stop en route to Glasgow.

“I’m not hungry,” Lucy repeated.

“Coffee, at least? Unless, of course, you want to fall asleep on Lily again,” Rose said. “Besides, Dominic will be grilling you later, and I strongly recommend being awake and alert for that.” Rose rounded the chair and sat on the armrest, looking at Lily. She looked asleep; nothing out of the ordinary, although Rose was well aware that the opposite was true. Lucy’s reluctance to leave her side was understandable.

“All we did was… make love,” Lucy said, looking up. “Nothing… special. Just… a bit more intense than usual, maybe. Because of the accident.”

“Yeah. Dave and I were the same.”

“Eww. Too much info!”

Rose chuckled. “You started it.”

“Aye, but you’re talking about my dad! I just... ewww!. He’s safely at home, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he is,” Rose admitted. “Sorry.”

“Having to come back here is going to break his heart,” Lucy said, looking at Rose for the first time.

Rose dropped her hand between the girl’s shoulder blades to ease the tension that must have nestled there. “Don’t worry about that, sweetheart.” 

Lucy leaned against Rose and she draped her arm around her shoulders. “How can I not worry,” Lucy muttered.

Rose sighed. She wished she could convince Lucy that she needn’t carry the weight of the world on her young shoulders, but even assuaging her fears was a daunting task. The first step would be to get her to leave her girlfriend’s side long enough to get a shower and have some coffee. She drew Lucy close and kissed the top of her head. “We’re here for the two of you, yeah? Whenever you need something. Anything,” Rose said. It was the least she could do, and it didn’t reek of platitude.

“Thanks,” Lucy whispered. “I’m so glad you’re with us.”

“Aww,” Rose made, her heart warming. She tried her luck again. “Breakfast?”

Lucy laughed softly. “It’s not like she’s going to wake in the next couple of minutes, is she?”

“Probably not.”

“Still. I don’t like the idea of her being alone here. Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad that we can use this facility, but it was terrifying the first time round. I don’t even want to begin to imagine what it must be like for Lily. She’s only arrived here from a 1940s parallel universe, like, yesterday,” Lucy explained.

“I know, sweetheart. Tell you what,” Rose suggested. “You get us our breakfast and I’ll stay here for the time being, all right?”

“All right,” Lucy said, but she was trying to put on a brave face. 

Kissing Lilly’s hand, she left and Rose took her place. She didn’t want to betray Lucy’s trust by promptly leaving Lily by herself. 

_At some point Dave is going to decide that I'm bad luck,_ Rose thought. Ever since she had stepped into his life his son had gotten seriously sick, he’d learned the real cause of his mother’s death, he’d been transported to her old universe, and now he had to come back here because his daughter’s girlfriend had come down with something inexplicable, possibly alien. Well, Paul’s sickness wasn’t her fault, but all the rest were a direct consequence of knowing her and Torchwood.

Playing with her ring she wondered if Dave was still eager to go to the registry office the very moment it opened tomorrow to give notice. She couldn’t imagine why he’d want her anywhere near his family.She seemed to bring them nothing but trouble.

“Hello,” Donna said softly, approaching Lily’s bed from the opposite side.

Rose attempted a smile.

“You look pretty shaken,” Donna said.

“You don’t look your usual cheerful self either.”

Donna smiled. “No, I suppose I don’t.”

“Do you have any news?” Rose asked, but Donna shook her head. “What is wrong with me?” Rose muttered.

“What?” Donna perked up at her words.

“For years in this bloody universe nothing of great consequence has happened, and now that I’ve met Dave I seem to leave a trail of death and destruction in my wake.”

“No one has died,” Donna reminded her. “And we’ve always fixed things, haven’t we?”

“But at what cost.”

“I, for one, am very glad for your arrival. You’ve changed my life for the better. And I think — I know that Dave feels the same way about you, no matter how bad you might be feeling about what has happened,” Donna said, caressing Lily’s face. “Look at her for example. In a way, you saved her life. You and the Doctor.”

“Yeah, but it seems as if she has extra bad karma, or else she wouldn’t be lying here, like this,” Rose pointed out, looking up. “Why her, Donna? Why not Lucy, or better even, me? All three of us were in that wretched car, and Lucy and I are fine.”

“Yeah,” Donna drawled, “about that. We’d like to examine you two thoroughly, to compare our findings with Lily’s chart. To make sure that you don’t have what she has.”

“If we did, wouldn’t we be like her by now?” Rose challenged, but saw the wisdom behind the doctors’ plans.

“Since we don’t know what is causing this, we can’t be sure.”

Rose groaned. Fantastic. If this turns out to be a reaction to being exposed to some sort alien entity, then the chances were good that she and Lucy would succumb to it as well. She couldn’t possibly allow that to happen. It would break Dave’s heart. _But if that were to happen, she’d leave the Priory in Mickey’s capable hands and move back to London and never, never ever, get into a relationship with anyone again because, let’s face it, I am bad news._

Rose nodded. “Yeah, all right. Let's compare our charts.” She wasn’t really looking forward to the needles and rays that would be involved, but at least it was something she could do, she and Lucy both.

“You’re in a dark place, eh?” Donna asked.

Rose looked at her. “I’m fine.”

Donna sighed, but mercifully was cut short by Lucy returning with the paper tray into which were wedged three tall paper cups of strong coffee. She also had one bag of pastries with her, but Rose, too, had lost her appetite. “Do we need to have an empty stomach for those exams?” she asked.

“No, you’ll be fine. It won’t do to have you faint on us in the middle of one, will it?” Donna said softly. She sighed. “You know, I never thought I’d have children, but ever since Lily has lived with me, I feel… well, I can’t imagine not having her around the house.”

-:-

Dave arrived soon after their breakfast, and both she and Lucy felt considerably better after a shower and dressed in their own, fresh clothes. “Where are the wee ones?” Lucy asked, stepping out of the bathroom in the family suite.

“Anna and Beattie are looking after them,” he said.

Rose saw Lucy’s gaze fall on the morning’s papers that Dave had brought. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to look at them, but when Lucy pulled the pile towards herself, neither she nor Dave stopped her. On the contrary, Dave provided them with a mug of tea each, and they sat down at the counter together to look at them. Rose wasn’t sure what had happened to Lucy’s need to be with Lily, but she could understand her need to process the previous day’s events.

“How bad are they?” Rose asked, taking the copy of the _Metro_ , a free Glaswegian newspaper.

“Pretty bad,” Dave sighed.

The photos showed the twisted metal carcasses of the cars involved in the accident, but most notably a shot of what had once been her small Italian import. Rose swallowed hard, finding it difficult to make the tea go down around the lump in her throat. She couldn’t imagine how the three of them had gotten out of the wreckage alive. It seemed ridiculous, all of a sudden, that only Lily’s cello was a total loss; it had travelled with them strapped to the backseat. Lucy’s violin had gone back to Hillingdon Drive in Dave’s trusty Volvo.

Along with the pictures of the accident there was one of herself and Dave, taken at the press night they’d attended the week before. The captions and headlines were differing shades of sensationalist. The broadsheets, of course, only mentioned the accident briefly with an unrelated mugshot approved by Pete’s PR folk. The _Sun_ even had a picture of her, Lily and Lucy in the open ambulance, clinging desperately to styrofoam cups with blankets around their shoulders. All three of them looked stunned, their skin tinted a bright orange where the paramedics had dabbed at their cuts and bruises with disinfectant. _Rose’s horrible accident,_ the front-page headline blared. It was subtitled _How Dave Tiler nearly lost his partner again: Is Rose responsible for almost killing his adoptive daughter and her girlfriend? Will the couple survive?_

Rose gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. “Bastards,” she eventually said. “How do they know all these things?”

Dave sighed as Lucy bent over the breakfast bar to get a look at the offending article too. Her face was a mask of abject horror. “How dare they write these things? The accident wasn’t Rose’s fault, _at all_ , and they know it. The police have confirmed it was a reckless driver. If anything, Rose saved our asses by trying to avoid the end of the queue.”

“Language, young lady,” Dave said gently. “But aye. Ye’re right. Robin, Stuart and Jackie are on it.”

“What I don’t understand is how they knew we were in the accident at all. The pap knew exactly who to look for,” Rose fumed.

“As I said, love, our army of lawyers are on it,” Dave said.

“This is so sick,” Lucy said.

Dave exhaled slowly. “Aye. I’ll need to talk to the schools to make sure they get some perspective on this.”

As if prompted, Lucy’s mobile trilled in the pocket of her jeans and she dug it out. “It’s a friend from school, Ella. She plays the flute. Can I talk to her?”

“Just tell her that you’ve caught a cold from the long wait in the rain, but otherwise you’re fine,” Rose said, her professionalism kicking in. She was good at coming up with impromptu cover stories, and she’d better put that skill to good use. Then at least she wouldn’t have to think about the awful things in the newspapers. 

Lucy nodded and went into the hall leading to the bedrooms for some privacy.

“This is…” Dave began, breaking off before he could find an adequate adjective.

“Yeah.”

“I know that what they say is total shite, aye?”

Rose chuckled. “Language, young man.”

Dave snorted but drew her into his arms to kiss her. “I’m a grandfather, you know that?”

“Hmm, sexiest one I’ve ever met. And shagged,” she added, unable to resist.

Dave ground his pelvis against her. He was a far cry from getting hard, she knew that, but it was good to know that he appreciated her words.

“Donna and Dominic want to examine Lucy and me because they have excluded injury from the accident as causes for Lily’s condition,” Rose said. “Can you stay, just for the… lumbar puncture?” Dominic had told her that this particularly unpleasant exam was elementary to finding out what had happened.

“Aye,” he said, kissing her hairline. “‘Course I will.”

A couple of hours later, Rose lay curled up on the exam couch, her backside exposed to Dominic. The anaesthetic had kicked in, so all Rose felt was the pressure of his gloved hands and the needle against her skin, but no pain. Dave was sitting facing her and holding her hand, his right hand caressing her forehead and hair.

Frankie was there too, holding down her legs. Rose thought it a ridiculous notion, but she soon found out that the need to stretch and get rid of the pressure against her spine was irrepressible. The idea of the needle entering the narrow space between her vertebrae was more than a little upsetting, and she wasn’t sure if she imagined the pain — because it sounded painful — or if the epidural hadn’t worked properly. She moaned.

“Try to relax for me,” Dominic said.

“Yeah,” she ground out. Although she trusted Dominic’s abilities she was still scared of the epidural wearing off without taking the numbness with it. 

“It’ll be over soon, love,” Dave murmured. Rose saw him and Dominic exchange glances before the pressure on her lower back increased. She squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her fingers around Dave’s hand. Frankie’s grip tightened around her legs as Rose groaned and forced her breathing pattern to remain normal. She thought she almost succeeded. 

Suddenly, the pressure was gone, but with it came a sharp pain that made her cry. She saw the tension leave Dave’s face, but it was soon replaced with horror of having to go through it all again with Lucy. 

“Thank you,” she murmured, although really she meant sorry.

“That’s it,” Dominic said from behind her. “We’ll set to work on them as soon as we’ve got Lucy’s sample.”

“One down, one to go,” Dave said, smiling. He helped her uncurl and draped a blanket over her while Frankie set her up with a caffeine drip to prevent a headache.

“Can’t I have a proper administration of caffeine? Like a Coffee Americano from next door? A double one?” Rose asked.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Frankie said, but Rose knew her well enough to know that that translated to plain no.

“I’ll have to go and help with Lucy now. You all right?”

Rose nodded. “Poor thing,” she said, not sure herself who she was referring to. She relaxed as the two men moved away from her to perform the same procedure on Lucy. Well, that was the worst part of the tests done. They’d already taken her blood and made a full-body scan. She was very grateful for the advanced technology Torchwood had at its disposal. It was a shame there wasn’t a safe and reliable alternative to the lumbar puncture.

From across the room she could hear Lucy suck in the air and whimper a little, mixed with Dave’s low whisper of reassurance. _Oh dear._

-:-

Lily woke from her coma precisely twenty-four hours after she had fallen into it. Lucy had insisted on staying the night with her, curling up on the bed beside her girlfriend. She told Dominic and Donna that Lily had woken with a gasp and a moan, as if she, or her body, remembered why it had lost consciousness in the first place. Rose could tell that the girls wanted the earth to swallow them up whole when it became clear that the moan was an echo of the previous night’s orgasm. Lily seemed very puzzled by the fact, and she was even quieter than usual.

Dominic, who was on duty that night, gave Lily a thorough exam before sending both girls to sleep again. He discussed the results with Rose and Donna the next morning. He brought up the images of the scans he’d taken the previous day, and the ones from this morning.

Donna frowned as she drew the holographic image towards her and blew several areas of it up with a sweep of her hand. “I can’t see anything that wasn’t there yesterday.”

Dominic sighed. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

“But… that’s not a bad thing,isn’t it?” Rose asked, bemused. “If there’s no change then she’s all right. Unless… there is something wrong with these that I can't see because I’m not a doctor.”

“Don’t worry, love,” Dominic said, “as far as these scans go, Lily is a perfectly healthy young woman.”

“Oh.” Rose blinked. “So, what…?”

“It’s good,” Donna said, smiling.

Dominic sighed, leaning back in his seat. “Yeah. I’m just not sure what to make of it. I’d like to know why she was in that coma in the first place.”

“PTSD?” Rose asked. “It wouldn’t show up on any scans, right?”

“We ought to get her to a grief counsellor,” Donna said. “That won’t yield any immediate results, but Lily needs it. God knows how people coped during the Blitz, when friends and family… when losing someone was… well. There were no grief counsellors then.”

“No, I suppose people just kept calm and carried on,” Rose sighed. “Repression works well for some.”

“You?” Dominic asked.

Rose flashed him an angry glare. “I’m doing fine, thank you very much.”

Dominic set his perfectly sculpted lips into a comparatively thin line. 

“I don’t have any more issues than you or Donna,” Rose protested.

“Yeah? Since when did you know me so well?” Dominic retorted.

Rose leaned back in her chair. “So what do we do now?”

“I’d like her to talk to someone who’ll understand what she’s going through. Someone familiar with Torchwood’s work,” Donna said.

“I’ll give you a list of names. It’s short, though,” Rose offered.

“They’re London-based, right?” Dominic asked, but he never got a reply. They were interrupted by Lucy knocking on the door to the medical conference room.

“Lily doesn’t remember me,” Lucy said, in quiet dejection that upset Rose more than one of her tantrums would have. Was this the real Lucy, she wondered, a Lucy who’d only played the role of a drama queen to be inaccessible to anyone? She decided to tuck that idea away for later.

“What?”

Donna paled. “Amnesia, if caused by psychological trauma, wouldn’t show up either.”

Lucy narrowed her eyes. Finally, that was a reaction from her that Rose was familiar with. “What’s going on?”


	9. Nine

Nine

“I’d like to go home, please,” Lily said, standing up from the neatly made bed in the ICU. She was dressed in the laundered clothes; her jeans were torn at the thigh, and she tried to hide the fact with her hand. She’d tidied her hair with a few clips and a pair of pigtails. “Where are my parents?”

Lucy bit her lip, her arms crossed in front of her protectively.

“We’re here to take you home, Lily,” Donna said gently.

“Where are my parents?” Lily repeated.

Her amnesia was worse than they’d thought. So far they had assumed she'd lost only the memories since she'd arrived in this universe, but apparently, her amnesia went further back, to the trauma before being buried alive. To the trauma of losing her parents. _How do you tell a child that she’s lost both her parents,_ Rose wondered. _How did Dave do it?_

“You’ll have to trust us, Lily,” Donna said.

“Where am I, anyway?” Lily asked, growing more defensive.

“You’re at a special hospital, love,” Donna explained. “I’m a doctor.”

Lily narrowed her eyes. “You don’t look like one.” Donna was in her street clothes, and her long ginger hair was flowing down her shoulders. 

Donna laughed. “No, I suppose I don’t. Does that scare you?”

“No,” Lily replied, straightening.

“This is not an ordinary hospital. We do specialised research here, and we treat strange illnesses and injuries,” Donna explained.

“Are you experimenting on me? Is this some secret government facility to find ways of killing people more efficiently?” Lily asked.

“No, it’s not,” Lucy chimed in. “They help people when normal doctors can’t.”

“Why am I here then? Am I not normal?” Lily had turned her full attention to Lucy, and Donna gestured for Rose to withdraw a bit to let Lucy handle the conversation.

Rose wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to let her do this. She was too close to Lily, but maybe that was also an asset. Maybe Lily sensed the bond they had shared before the accident. Lucy wanted to do something, and hopefully she’d feel better now that she could. Rose just wasn’t happy about passing part of the responsibility of treating Lucy on to another vulnerable teenager.

“You are perfectly normal,” Lucy said. “You see, there was an accident, with a car, and we think you must have hit your head badly and lost your memory.”

“I don’t remember being in a car,” Lily mused. She looked quickly at Donna and her.

“What do you remember?” Lucy asked.

“Being at the loch with Wallie, painting. It started to rain so I packed my things and headed home,” Lily said.

“Who’s Wallie?”

“My dog. Where is he?”

“What’s the date, love?” Donna asked.

Confused, Lily looked at her. “It’s 13th October.”

“What year?”

Lily frowned. To her it was, of course, a silly question. “1940.”

“It’s 7th November 2010,” Lucy said gently.

Lily just stared at her, then her gaze travelled to Rose and Donna, taking in the room properly — or consciously — for the first time. Apparently what she saw convinced her that the room and fashion were too modern to be from her time. Rose couldn’t help thinking that Lily was an exceptionally clever and sensible girl. Or maybe shock and denial would come later, when her new reality sank in. 

“How come it’s seventy years later when I was in an accident, as you say? If it's really seventy years later, then why am I still young?”

“You travelled in time and space,” Lucy said, not even exchanging glances with Rose to check if giving her the full truth was okay.

“You’re joking.”

Lucy shook her head, looking serious. “Why would I be so cruel?”

“You tell me. Have you seen what people are capable of doing to each other?” Lily asked, revealing a sarcasm that was new. Interesting. Donna looked briefly at Rose to make sure that she had noticed it too.

Lucy didn’t flinch. “Aye. And I’m not one of these people. Neither of us is.”

Lily took in a trembling breath. “How is that even possible?”

“It sounds fantastic, but there’s a whole world out there that we’re just getting to know,” Rose said.

“What kind of world?”

Blimey, Lily was an inquisitive young woman. “Distant planets, with strange people.”

“Now you’re pulling my leg.”

“Can I show you something?” Maybe Lily’s naivety could be used to their advantage; her lack of knowledge of contemporary photo manipulation techniques should make it easier to convince her. Although it seemed like overkill to start by showing her aliens rather than just relying on the amazing technology she used to capture them to surprise her.

Lily crossed her arms in front of her.

“Please? To show you we’re completely serious?”

“Please, Lily,” Lucy encouraged her.

“All right,” Lily sighed.

They went into the small doctor’s office and Rose accessed some of the video footage they had of the Sheeryan using their Shimmer, of Daleks and Cybermen, and finally, following sudden inspiration, the videos of the night Dave and the Doctor had returned to their respective universes. Lily stared at the images in wonder, reaching out to touch the screen. The footage was good quality, and, of course, in colour. Rose hoped that would do the trick to convince her.

Watching the video was strange. It was only the second time that Rose had watched it because seeing the Doctor leave for the last time hurt too much, and she needed to resist the urge to watch it repeatedly and even take a screenshot. She didn’t want to do that to herself, and she couldn’t do it to Dave. She also feared the implications of the idea; seeing it now made her realise that even that much restraint hadn’t really helped her say goodbye to him.

“These two men,” Lily began, pointing at Dave and the Doctor in turn, “are they twins?”

“No. They just look like each other,” Rose said, and, pointing at Dave, continued, “Dave is human, and from this Earth. You’ll meet him later. He’s my fiancé. This man is from a planet called Gallifrey.”

Trust Lily to listen attentively. “ _This_ Earth?”

She listened while Rose explained about parallel universes. “I’m from the Doctor’s universe. I was trapped here defeating the Daleks and Cybermen you saw earlier. So were Mickey and my mother. And you. You’re from Over There too.”

Lily sat heavily in the chair. “Where is my counterpart, my twin?”

“There isn’t one in this universe,” Donna said.

“Why not?”

“We don’t know,” Donna said.

“Bu we can find out, can’t we?” Lucy asked.

“Yes, why not. There are two Lily Inneses in this universe, apart from yourself,” Rose said. “One was born in 1956 and the other in 1982.”

“But what I still don’t understand is why I can’t remember being here and meeting all of you,” Lily said.

“We don’t understand that either. It’s why we brought you here, to take care of you and find out what happened,” Rose said.

“I was going to take you home,” Donna said, “but maybe you’d like to go with Rose. She lives in the twin version of your parents’ house. If that is all right, of course.”

Rose hadn’t thought of that, but it was a great idea. “Yeah, we could do that.”

Lucy didn’t seem entirely convinced. “Familiar surroundings often trigger memories,” Donna explained.

Rose thought that the indoors of her house probably looked entirely different from what Lucy knew, but she decided not to complicate things unnecessarily. If it worked, it worked, and if it didn’t they’d at least have tried.

“Can I come too?” Lucy asked.

“We’ll have to ask Dave.”

“Why do you want to come too?” Lily asked.

“Because,” Lucy explained, “we’re together and I don’t want you to be by yourself.” 

“We are… together?”

“Sweethearts,” Lucy said, no doubt using Lily’s words to describe the nature of their relationship.

-:-

In the car from Donna’s place to her own home Rose wondered if they hadn’t given Lily too much information too soon. Although she supposed that a lot of it had yet to sink in, there were some things that Lily seemed to have grasped at once. Like the fact that she and Lucy were lovers.

Lily had been relatively quiet, much as she had been when she’d first arrived. In her case, Time and Space weren’t two discrete concepts; they were synonymous. The world had changed so tremendously in the seventy years that lay between the bomb night that had brought her here that it must seem a completely different place too. She did recognise major landmarks on their journeys from The Priory (which she recognised and found intact to her great relief), but post-war buildings puzzled her just as much as the riot of colours and the din of the traffic. It was a Monday morning in Glasgow, so the streets were busy with cars and pedestrians.

“This is amazing,” Lily said a couple of times in the car.

She also examined her own room closely, a bit shyly at first because for all she knew it was a stranger’s room. But when she saw the photos of her short life in the 21st century and recognised Donna, Rose and Lucy in them, she relaxed visibly.

“We’d never lie to you,” Lucy said.

 _At least not directly,_ Rose thought. She hated the idea of lying to Lily by omission, but the question was if it was really necessary. They’d only put Lily through painful events again, only to find that maybe a few hours hence she’d regain her memories. 

“This was taken on Dad’s birthday. This is Dad. His name’s Dave, and that’s what you call him.”

“And the bairns?”

“Evie, Paul and Ewan, my little sister and brothers,” Lucy said. For a moment Rose wondered if she was going to tell Lily about Rita too, but Lucy exchanged a quick glance with her and seemed to decide against it.

“I’ll just pop to the kitchen to see if I can help Donna,” Rose said, suddenly aware that she might be intruding.

Donna was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, staring at the tips of her stocking feet.

“Hey,” Rose said to warn her of her presence.

Donna exhaled slowly. “I can’t believe she’ll have to go through the adjustment process again. It was hard the first time, although she seemed to cope brilliantly. I wonder if the amnesia is a delayed reaction of her brain to the emotional stress.”

Rose made a non-committal sound, but then she understood that Donna was using her as a sounding board. “How likely is that?”

“Quite, but the coma, or deep unconsciousness rather, puzzles me a bit. Particularly since you and Lucy seem to be fine.”

“Maybe it’s just one of these things,” Rose said.

“Yeah,” Donna said, looking up and slipping on a smile. “Thank you for taking her to yours.”

“Any time. I’m just not sure if my place will be more of a trigger of familiarity than her room here. Lucy is talking Lily through her photos and the possessions she’s collected since her arrival here.”

“We ought to be very careful how much we tell her. I think it’s better for the moment not to mention her parents.”

“Yeah, that’s the difficult part,” Rose sighed, “maybe all we can do is trust Lucy to guide her through this.”

“Do you think she trusts her?”

“I think so, although I’m not quite sure if she’s accepted the idea that they're lovers. What happens to love when you don’t remember it?”

“The romantic in me wants to say it persists if it’s the love of your life,” Donna said. “Don’t ask scientific me.”

They laughed briefly.

There was a discreet knock on the door, and Rose turned to see the girls standing there. “We’re ready.”

“Good,” she said more cheerfully than she felt. “Let’s go.”

“I’m sorry for preferring Miss Tyler’s place over yours,” Lily said. “But I’d really like to… I think I'll feel safer in a place I’m more familiar with. But I like your flat. It’s very nice.”

Donna laughed, touched. “I understand, sweetheart. You’re welcome here whenever you want to come back, yes?”

“Aye, thank you.” She wanted to add a name but wasn’t sure which one to use.

As Rose put her bag into the boot of the Torchwood car, she said, “Please call me Rose. Miss Tyler sounds so formal.”

“I’ll try. Rose.”

After a half hour drive across town, Rose finally pulled into the drive of her house. She hadn’t been home in ages, and when she collected her overnight bag from the boot she suddenly felt very tired. Lily stood outside the house staring at it, and Rose reminded herself of the fact that she needed to stay awake a while longer.

“So, this is it. Or is it?”

“Aye. Can we go inside, please?”

“Of course. Where are my manners?” Rose joked, digging for Dave’s keys to her house in the pocket of her jeans. He’d dropped them off at the Priory after he’d done some shopping for her and aired the rooms a little in anticipation of her return. Her own keys were in the wreckage of her little car. The police had promised to return all their personal belongings to them as soon as possible. They hadn’t allowed her to go back for the most essential items for safety reasons, which was completely sensible now, but at the time the idea of not even getting her keys back had been very distressing. She clearly remembered muttering about how she was supposed to get into her home. 

They were greeted by a bunch of flowers on the cooking island in the kitchen, and Rose found a rose on her pillow with a short note welcoming her home. The small gestures brought tears to her eyes and she hid in her bedroom for a few minutes, hoping that the girls would find her tea things. She cleaned up quickly in her en suite.

“Well, what do you think?” she asked as she joined the girls in the kitchen.

“It’s different, but I like it,” Lily said. “It’s very bright and… airy.”

“Thanks. Would you like some tea before we go on the grand tour? I’m afraid there isn’t much to see. I haven’t had a chance to decorate or even furnish all of the rooms. Which means you’ll have to sleep on a mattress on the floor. If you decide to stay here,” Rose said.

“Rose?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah?” Rose took a deep breath.

“Relax. It’s just us.”

Rose slumped a little.

“Where are your tea things, Miss… Rose?” Lily asked.

The girls made tea, following her directions. Rose was surprised by both how tired she was, and how emotionally raw she felt. She wished Dave were here so they could curl up in her bed and shut the outside world out for a while. The whole time since the accident she’d been running on adrenaline, she realised, and only now that she was back in her own home did she feel the distress of the crash and the aftermath.

“Are you all right, Rose?” Lucy whispered, laying a hand on her arm.

“Yeah, just tired,” Rose smiled bravely. 

“Thank you so much for doing this for us.”

“Anything, love.”

“In my house, this is where the reception room would have been,” Lily explained as she warmed the teapot. “The kitchen was through there.”

“That’s the dining room I hardly use,” Rose said.

“We must come over for dinner more often then,” Lucy decided, sounding a bit too cheerful for it to be natural.

“Well, we’ll see,” Rose said. She’d had no chance to call Dave to ask how it had gone at the registry office. That was something she wanted to keep between them for the moment. The world — the children and their families and friends — would learn soon enough, so they might as well keep the idea of an early wedding to themselves for as long as possible.

“Do you know if this house has always been like this?” Lily asked. She passed her a mug of tea.

“No, I’m afraid not. I’ll show you upstairs. Let’s see if the floor plan is closer to your home’s,” Rose suggested.

Before they went up to look around she showed them the lounge. A corner of her mind hoped that Lily’s bedroom didn’t happen to be her own bedroom, but it turned out that the master bedrooms were the same here as Over There. Lily identified the room on the far side of the building as her own. It overlooked the back garden, just like Rose’s bedroom, and while she’d stripped the floorboards and painted the walls, there wasn’t much else in the room. Even the light bulb was naked, dangling from the corniced fixture above like a frozen tear.

They dragged the spare mattress and a simple chest of drawers for their clothes from the hall into the room and Rose found them a pair of lamps to replace the cold overhead lighting. They made the bed and overlooked their handiwork, sipping their cold tea.

“Is it okay that the two of you are sharing?” Rose asked, realising only then that she’d assumed Lucy and Lily would spend the night together.

“It is with me if it is with you,” Lucy said. “I promise to behave,” she added as an attempt at levity.

Lily nodded. “What about blackout curtains?” she asked, regarding the windows critically.

“There’s no war,” Rose said. “Which also means that the nights are going to be very quiet.” Donna had told her about Lily’s inability to sleep because of the lack of nighttime sirens and guns and bombs. She showed her how to use the venetian blinds, and then showed her to the guest bathroom. Lily marvelled at the sophistication and luxury of the small room.

“I’m afraid I’ll need some time to get used to all this. No rationing. No sirens,” Lily sighed, sitting on the edge of the sofa in the lounge.

“Don’t worry about that,” Rose said. “I hope you’ll feel a lot better soon. Do you think… our plan is working?”

“I feel safe here, and at home,” Lily said, “but that’s more because of your hospitality than the house itself.”


	10. Ten

Ten

All three of them were so tired that they decided to eat early, watch some telly and then go to bed. Lily was very keen to explore this new world, and the flatscreen in the lounge fascinated her just as much as the computer she’d seen at the Priory earlier. She probably couldn’t tell the difference between the devices yet since they’d watched CCTV footage on the computer and she thought it a kind of television device too. Lucy also thought that watching a film or the episode of a series was a safe introduction to the world outside the house. Sooner or later, depending on the nature of Lily’s amnesia, she’d have to participate in everyday life. For tomorrow, however, they had planned not to go to school; recovering from the accident offered a plausible excuse. 

Rose called Dave while the girls were taking care of the dishes after dinner.

“I miss you,” Dave said. “Every time you go back to yours after we’ve spent time together I find it more difficult not to have you around.”

Rose swallowed and wrapped her free arm around herself. She wasn’t sure Dave was aware of how deeply his words affected her. At this moment they ran deeper than an _I love you_. “Yeah,” she croaked. “I know the feeling.”

She could hear the gleeful sound he sometimes made when he grinned. 

“So, did you get a chance to go to the registry office?”

“Aye.”

There was a pause.

“And?” _He’s realised that no matter when we get married, it is far too soon._

“Would next Wednesday be all right? Wednesday next week?” he clarified.

This time it was she who paused.

“Rose?” His voice was barely audible and filled with fear of what she’d say next.

“Davesday,” she said. Wednesday hadn’t been Davesday in a long time, not since his trip to Over There. She’d spent so much time at Hillingdon Drive that Wednesdays had become Wednesdays again.

“I suppose.” He still sounded nervous.

“I can’t think of a better day to marry you.”

The other end of the line went silent.

“Dave, love?”

He squeaked at first. “You really want to… next Wednesday?”

“Yes. I do.”

He chuckled. “Practising?”

“Just trying to tell you I mean it. I just hadn’t expected we could get a date this early. But it’s fine. I don’t suppose we need many preparations.”

“Your dress?”

Rose sat in the window seat. “I’ll think of something.” She sighed. “We haven’t even discussed rings.”

“I’d love to have one,” he said. “It sounds a bit silly, but I like the idea of Our Forever around my finger.”

Rose remembered the promise she’d given the Doctor on the planet with the pterodactyls. She closed her eyes against the image of the Doctor and his serene smile at her answer. Of course, he hadn’t asked her to marry him, but in that moment, his asking her how long she was going to stay with him was tantamount to a proposal. As far as she knew he was wont to leaving companions behind after a while. That he asked her had meant the world to her.

She felt guilty when she nodded. The idea of a Forever with Dave was beautiful but she wished there were another word for it.

“Rose?”

“Yes. That sounds great.” She wondered if she’d sounded as little convincing as she thought she did.

“Is it too soon?”

“No. I’m just… my mind feels like a roller coaster at the moment,” she said.

“Tell you what. Sleep on it. Between the accident and the surprise at how quickly this could happen, you need to think about it a little bit.”

“You probably should too.”

They were silent for a few beats. Rose could hear Ewan playing the piano in the background. She smiled.

“Are we rushing into this, Dave?”

“That’s why I suggested sleeping on it. I’ll have to confirm the date tomorrow. Which would still leave us plenty of time to get things organised. It’ll be simple though.”

“I want simple. I just want you and… Our Forever.”

He made that adorable sound again.

“But if I told you to hold off confirming the date. _If_ I did,” she began, “it’s just because I think it’s a bit early, not because I don’t love you or because I’m having second thoughts, yeah?”

“I’m glad you said that,” he said. “I feel the same way.”

“I don’t know what I did to deserve a man like you.”

“It’s not what you did. Okay, it probably is. It’s more about who you are, Rose.”

“Ditto. In case you were wondering the same thing.”

“Are you all right? You and the girls?”

“Yeah. Thanks for getting the house ready for us. I love the flowers especially the one left on my pillow.”

“How are the girls holding up?”

“Well, I suppose, but I think there’s a lot of bravery involved on both their parts. I’m not sure how well they’re doing in regards to their relationship. They are going to share a bed tonight however. It’s that or the sofa in the lounge.”

“I love your sofa,” he said.

Rose chuckled. “We haven’t snogged there in a while.”

“Well, it’s Roseday the day after tomorrow,” he said. “We could spend it at yours and send the girls to mine or Donna’s. Or we just wait and do it… at the studio. So we don’t have to send the girls away. Sending them away would be awkward.”

Rose guffawed. “What?”

“I… I’ve… there’s. No excuse really. It’s… I’m being _glaikit._ Forget I said it.”

Rose laughed. “No, it’s okay. I’d like that.”

There was another pause.

“Really?”

“Yeah. We made love at my workplace so it’s about time we gave yours a go.”

“You, Rose Tyler, are the most amazing woman in this universe and the one next door.”

Rose laughed again.

-:-

To Rose’s surprise the first night with the girls under her roof went very well. She had been prepared for nightmares but apparently all three of them were so exhausted both physically and mentally that even their subconscious needed rest; there were no dreams that night. Rose woke early the next morning and decided to call the school to let the office know that both Lily and Lucy weren’t coming in that day either. The secretary in charge sounded a bit skeptical.

“I know I’m not either of the girls’ guardian,” Rose said, “but they’re staying with me for the time being because of the exceptional circumstances. I’m sure that someone has called to explain about the press coverage of the accident.”

“Yes,” the woman replied reluctantly.

“Look, I understand you need to make sure the girls are safe. I totally do. It’s what I’d want too. Feel free to call Ms Noble and Mr Tiler to confirm what I’ve told you,” she said, running her fingers through her messy hair.

“I will.” The woman sounded a bit brusque for Rose’s taste, but she was too sleepy still to do anything about it. Or to remind her that Dave had put her name down as the next of kin of his daughter.

Or to remind her that she was going to be Dave’s wife.

Rose disconnected the call and stared at her phone. She was sitting in bed, staring at the blinds hiding the darkness slowly fading from the night. She was marrying Dave.

There was no doubt about it. She’d slept on it, and it was the first thing she thought of when she woke. Now, it was the only thing she could think of. She was marrying Dave.

Next week.

She hit the speed dial button.

“Mornin’,” Dave said cheerfully. Of course he was awake already. He needed to get the bairns ready for school.

“Good morning, Mr Tyler with a y.”

“It’s Mrs Tiler with an i.”

She chuckled. “I just called to remind you of our date next Wednesday.”

“Have ye now?” he said, dropping his voice a few notches. “Ewan, would you take care of the toaster for a sec? It’s Rose on the phone.”

Rose heard Ewan grumble in response. He wasn’t exactly a morning person. The thought crossed her mind that she was going to be there with them every morning soon. “How are the wee ones?” she asked as she listened to Dave leave the kitchen. She pictured him padding into the lounge and stretching out on the sofa there.

“I don’t want to talk about them right now. You’re sure about next Wednesday?”

“Yes.”

He took in a deep breath. _He’s changed his mind._

“Dave?”

“You’re marrying me?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

He chuckled but sobered quickly. 

“Yeah. Oh, and… the lady at the school was none too pleased about me calling in to excuse the girls. It might be a good idea to let her know we’ve talked about this.”

“We need to talk about the wedding.”

She smiled. “Yes. We could go to the registry office to confirm the date and take care of the rings after.”

“How are we going to tell the bairns? What if they hate the idea?”

“They won’t, and you’ll think of something. Is it okay if I tell my parents? I’d really like them there. And Mickey. He’s my best man.”

“Ye’ve given this some thought, havnae ye?”

“Don’t tell me you hadn’t thought of Murray and Holly. I’m not so sure about your best man.”

“Groomsmaid. If that’s even a word. I was thinking of Sarah.”

Rose chuckled. He joined in.

“I can’t believe we’re getting married so soon.”

“It’s such a wonderful thought,” Dave agreed. “Best idea I’ve had in a long time.”

“Will Beattie and Anna be okay with the idea?”

“They will be. Eventually,” he said thoughtfully.

Rose knew what was coming next.

“I’d like them there. If they want to join us.”

Their presence was going to turn their private little ceremony into something bigger than they’d imagined, but the alternative would be to get married all by themselves. Rose wasn’t sure she liked the idea of just the registrar witnessing their vows, and she was pretty sure that Dave felt the same way.

“Yeah.”

Of course, he picked up on her timing. “We don’t have to decide this now. Let’s meet at the registrar’s office and discuss the rest over coffee or lunch. Do you have your paperwork in order?”

Rose froze. She hadn’t thought of that and she suddenly felt very cold despite the warmth of her duvet. “It’s in my car. Or what’s left of it. The police haven’t returned our belongings yet.”

“Did they say how long that might take?”

Rose shook her head, too stunned to remember that she was on the phone with Dave. She needn’t have worried, though. He knew how to interpret her silence. “I’ll call them later.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Of course. You need your paperwork. And all the other things.”

Rose rubbed her forehead with her free hand. “Lily’s cello.”

“We’ll see if it really is damaged beyond repair. Speaking of Lily. How are the girls?”

“The night’s been quiet. I’m letting them sleep in. We were all knackered last night. We managed to watch a bit of the film Lucy likes so much. I forget the name. The one with Sean McDonald in which he’s that teacher at the boys’ school?”

“I know which one you mean. It’s a bit early for Trivial Pursuit — The Film Edition. Anyway, good choice. I haven’t seen it in a while.”

“We only got to the bit where he jumps onto the table to tell them to look at things from a different perspective.”

“Rose?”

“Yeah?”

“I have to go, much as I love chatting with you. I’m on the school run and we’re late.”

That was when the screaming started. Rose froze, and she pictured Dave doing the same. “What is that?” he asked, his voice shaking.

“That’s… that’s Lily. I think she’s having some sort of nightmare. I have to go,” she said.

There was was a pause. “Call me. Let me know everyone’s all right, aye?”

The screaming persisted. 

_I’m not sure I can do that._ “Yeah, I will. Drive safely.”

She hit the red button and got up, not bothering with her robe or slippers as she hurried down the hall to check on the girls. She pushed open the door and found Lily cowering in a corner, curled up and screaming in sheer terror. Rose hadn’t heard such a chilling sound since she’d travelled in the blue box, and for a few moments she stood just inside the bare room, not knowing what to do.

Lucy didn’t see her. She was crouching before Lily, trying with a hand on her friend’s shoulder to calm her down. “Lily, please. You’re safe now, Lily.”

But Lily’s wailing wouldn’t stop, and Rose had the feeling that Lily might be unable to stop, that her terror was like a cramp of her mind she was unable to shake by relaxing.

Rose approached them and saw that Lily was looking at her hands and arms in horror as if they were mutilated in some way. It occurred to Rose that in Lily’s mind they actually were.

“Call Dominic,” she instructed Lucy, and she had to repeat herself several times before the reluctant girl noticed her and registered her words.

Rose grabbed Lily unceremoniously and dragged the screaming and kicking girl to the bathroom where she bundled her under the shower and turned the water on.

“There, you see?” Rose said gently. “The water’s nice and cool, yeah? You’ll feel better in a few moments.” She was getting soaked to the bone and she yelped as the cold water poured down on them, but her treatment worked. Lucy stopped fighting her and relaxed in her arms. Her wails faded into soft cries and, eventually, finally, into whimpers.

This was how Lucy found them. Rose looked at her apologetically and a touch helplessly, and this time it was Lucy who remained level-headed. She turned off the water and tore the towels off the rack. Then she draped the towels over both of them. Lily was clinging to Rose as if she were a life-line, shivering now and making small sounds. Rose held her close and started to caress her wet hair. It had gone black in the shower.

“Dominic’s on his way,” Lucy said dumbly. Then she bolted.

“Lucy!” Rose called after her. She had no idea how to get Lily out of the shower by herself. They were sitting on the floor in an uncomfortable tangle of limbs. “Lucy!”

When Lucy didn’t reply Rose decided to stay where she was until Lily had recovered. She began to rock gently back and forth with the girl in her arms and tell her in foreign words that she was going to be all right.

She was so lost in soothing her that she hadn’t noticed she had an audience until a shadow fell over them. Looking up she saw Dominic's towering figure. He crouched beside them.

Lily relaxed once she had calmed down enough to be aware of Rose's lack of tension. Rose cursed herself for for freezing so badly in the face of Lily’s nightmare. She should have been stronger.

“I’m sorry,” she said to Dominic.

“It’s all right now,” he said, but she couldn’t tell if he was addressing her or Lily.

His rumbly baritone sent pleasant shivers down Rose’s spine, and, more importantly, it made Lily look up. Her eyes were puffy and her hair was plastered to her skin.

“I want Dad,” she said, her voice catching.

“You’ll have to make do with me for the moment,” Dominic said gently. “If that’s all right.”

Lily was still clinging to Rose as she looked for something in Dominic’s gentle expression that belied his good intentions. It was only then that Rose noticed he was wearing glasses. She had forgotten that he usually wore contact lenses, and she understood that due to the early hour he hadn’t had time to put them in. She found she rather liked him in glasses.

Lily nodded.

“I’m a doctor too,” he said. “How can I help you?”

“My arms and hands,” Lily said, holding them out for him. When she looked at them she saw that they weren’t hurt. Her skin was pale and unblemished, her bones straight and strong as ever. “Oh,” she squeaked. She started to shiver, staring at her arms and hands.

“How about getting you warm and dry?” Dominic suggested, taking her carefully by the wrists, looking at her arms and hands as if he were examining them. “Lucy is putting the kettle on.”

“What about Dad?”

Rose was thrown a little by the notion that Lily continued to ask for her father.

“He can’t be here right now, love,” Dominic said.

“Oh.”

Rose frowned a little. Lily had asked that question only moments ago. Was Lily still out of it or had her short-time memory failed her?

Rose let go of her as Dominic began to pull Lily to her feet. In the process the towel slid off Lily, revealing more of her body than the girl wanted; the water had plastered the material of the shirt to her skin. Dominic, ever the gentleman, picked the damp towel up and draped it over her shoulders to give her a modicum of decency.

“Is it okay if Rose takes you to your room so you can put something dry on?” he asked.

Lily nodded.

Dominic had won her trust.

He reached out for Rose’s hand to pull her to her feet too. She smiled gratefully at him.

After she and Lily had put on clothes they joined Dominic and Lucy in the kitchen. Lucy still looked shaken, and she clung to her mug as if it were the only thing that was stopping her from running away. She looked shyly at Lily.

“Have a cuppa,” Dominic said, passing each of them a mug of tea. It was stronger and sweeter than Rose liked, but it did its job of restoring her spirits.

“Are you feeling better, love?” Dominic asked.

Lily nodded.

“Show me your arms and hands again?”

She put down her mug and held them out for his scrutiny. He took her gently by the wrists and studied her perfect skin, making her turn her palms down with a gentle nudge.

“You seem to be all right. Are you in any pain?”

“Not… not any more, thanks.”

“What happened to them?”

Lily took in a shuddering breath. “They burnt. It was… worst there.”

“There?”

“It was all over. The fire. It was all over my body. And… and it was heavy too. So… crushing. I couldnae breathe.”

Dominic nodded gravely. “You are all right, though. There was no fire. Your skin is unblemished. Rose saw it, and Lucy too, yeah? So did I, if you don’t mind my saying so,” he said.

For the first time, Lily met his eyes, as if to verify his words.

“Or am I wrong?”

Lily shook her head.

Dominic smiled encouragingly at her.

“Can I talk to my father, please? I know his telephone number at the hospital.”


	11. Eleven

Eleven

“Poor lamb,” Dave said. By the way Rose was picking at her food he could tell she had lost her appetite, if she’d had one to begin with, that was. He reached across the table for her hand. Rose closed her fingers around his hand when he touched her. Suddenly, he wasn’t sure who it was he’d called poor lamb.

“I should have known better,” Rose said after a while.

“About what?” he asked, frowning.

“I froze in the bedroom with Lily. It took me a long time to get my act together and do something,” she said softly.

Dave blinked. “No, Rose. You did the right thing. I’m sure it didn’t take you half as long to come up with the idea as you think.”

Rose squeezed his fingers. “The pain was so bad I couldn’t even scream. That night when… when the Dimension Cannon failed. I was out of my mind with it. And then you turned up and I thought you were the Doctor. And — I’m sorry. I know what that must sound like.”

Dave swallowed. Hearing it did hurt, but it did so even more because now they were lovers. That night, they had each been suffering, though their pain was different. They were strangers who’d been in the right place at the right time to help each other. Little did they know what it would evolve into. “When I saw you I thought that that was the way Rita had died. Broken and in pain, all by herself in the middle of the road.” He now knew that it hadn’t occurred to him at the time. It had been somewhat later that he realised the natural instinct to help a stranger had been a way to atone for his lost love. He’d never been quite able to shake the thought that he’d abandoned Rita. Which was nonsense, of course. But tell that to his heart.

“It sounds like something out of a cheap novel,” Rose said.

“But life’s stranger than fiction,” he added, smiling.

They laughed briefly.

“I hate to imagine what it must have been like for Lily. Being trapped in that collapsed building, with all those burns,” Rose said as she picked at her food. It occurred to Dave that she was doing her best to eat. She wore that hint of a frown that suggested she was mulling something over.

“Then don’t, my love,” he said gently. He, too, found the idea unbearable. He also still found Lily’s rescue unbelievable. “I’ve been wondering, though,” he began.

“Yeah?” Rose looked at him with interest, and there was also hope glinting in her eyes.

“Lily wasn’t hurt badly when she crossed universes, was she?”

Rose shook her head, putting her fork down thoughtfully.

“Then why did she have this dream of being burnt?” he asked.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been asking myself.”

Rose fell silent afterwards, clearly thinking about it, and he gave her the room to tap into memories. Letting go of her hand, he wished he could support her more in this, but he was out of his depth. Rose knew so much about things that he could only guess at, and it made him feel a bit useless. He was a stranger to her world, and sometimes he must seem completely naive to her. 

“The Doctor and I came across a species just before the 2012 Olympics,” Rose said, loading her fork with the last bit of her Cumberland sausage and a generous helping of mashed potato. It was her comfort food, and, obviously, it had done its job.

“The London ones?” he asked, just to make sure. She was talking about the future, and it was weird to acknowledge that it was part of her past.

“Yeah. It’s the same here, right?”

He nodded, and she continued.

“The species is called Isolus. Despite their name, they seek closeness and feed off intense emotions, particularly love. They also have command over people’s imagination. In that particular case, an Isolus that had been separated from its brothers and sisters possessed a little girl’s body and used her drawings to feel less alone.”

“What happened? To the drawings, I mean?”

“All the people she drew disappeared and existed only in her drawings. She drew the Doctor too,” she said. “She trapped him in a pencil drawing.”

“Oh,” he said, finishing his club sandwich. “I’m trying to imagine that all the people Evie draws were snatched from life. Or might become alive. Did it work the other way round too? That people from her drawings became real?”

“I’m afraid so. Her father was dead, but when he was alive he had terrorised her and her mum. Her drawing of him started it all over again.”

“What does the Isolus have to do with Lily? Is there a connection?”

Rose smiled. “You ask all of the right questions. There might not be, I might be completely wrong, but I feel like I need to explore everything, and the Isolus are just one idea.”

“Am I right to assume that there’s no one, apart from the Doctor, who can confirm your ideas?”

Rose nodded, finishing her mashed potatoes. 

“So it might not be the Isolus at all?”

Rose leaned back in her chair with a sigh. “It might just be PTSD.”

“How did you know the girl was possessed?”

“She threw a lead ball at us. It was made of graphite you find in pencils. We used an eraser on it and destroyed it.”

“So the process is reversible? Drawings do become real if the Isolus wants it to,” he concluded. A cold chill ran down his spine. He didn’t dare take the idea further.

Rose seemed sheepish when she nodded.

“Are there Isolus in this universe?”

She made a helpless gesture. “I don’t know.”

“Well, could she have been… possessed Over There and brought it here when she stepped through the crack?” he asked. Another thought followed this one close on its heels. He had been Over There as well. What if he had picked something up that hadn’t presented yet? What if it had to do with stepping through the crack?

“Dave, you’ve gone very pale. Are you all right?” Rose asked, sitting up in her chair.

He shared his idea with her, and Rose looked at him for a long time. “The thing is, I have no idea if the Isolus would show on our imaging devices.”

“But it _was_ real, wasn’t it?” he asked.

“Yes. Very real,” she said, reaching for his hand. “But it might not be an Isolus at all. I was just… Oh dear, Dave, I’m so sorry. It was just a silly idea and I didn’t mean to upset you.”

He nodded.

“You _are_ all right, though?” she asked, her voice softening somewhat.

“Aye, perfectly. I’m just… worried. About you, about Lily and Lucy. I’d hate to see them be torn apart over this.”

They finished their meal with coffee and set off to the registry office together. To both their relief handing in her papers late wasn’t going to be a problem, especially in light of the accident. It surprised Rose, and he wondered what kind of world the Other Universe was. He realised, once again, that he had glimpsed only a small part of it, and most of the time he had been consumed with his own fears and hopes and grief.

“Let’s get the rings,” he said when they were back in the street.

-:-

That afternoon, he took the bairns to Rose’s for tea. They missed their sister, and so he had explained to them what had happened to Lily, or at least he’d done his best to. The consensus was that Lily and Lucy should stay with Rose for the time being so as not to tear Lily away from a fairly comfortable environment.

The result was that Evie and Ewan wanted to sleep on mattresses on the floor at Rose’s too, and after some difficult negotiations the two children agreed to ask Rose if they could have a sleepover at the weekend. He hoped that by then Lily would have recovered. For some reason he didn’t think that she was suffering from an illness. The story about the Isolus wouldn’t leave his thoughts, and he wondered if he could do anything about it, limited as his knowledge of alien life-forms was.

After he’d collected the bairns at school they'd gone straight to Rose’s. For tea she'd done something wonderful with chicken legs, lemons, tomatoes and Italian sausages in the oven. At first he thought that it might be too fancy for the children’s palates, but he could hardly stop them from mopping up the juices from the casserole with bread and the roast potatoes she had made. Only the salad deserved more attention, but even that was polished off eventually. It was a bit embarrassing to behold, really. “One might think I never feed you,” he said.

“Or that you’re a bad cook,” Ewan pointed out.

“Which you aren’t, Dad,” Paul hastened to say. “It’s just something new.”

“Well, I never knew you liked fancy stuff like this,” Dave said.

“Aye,” Lucy sighed. “Mum’s cuisine was a bit different too.”

“I’ve never tasted anything like this. It was delicious, Rose. Thank you so much,” Lily said. Dave had tried not to watch her eat, but he’d been unable to help himself. Lily had actually eaten a whole chicken leg and a few of the meat balls, and quite a bit of salad. At least there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with her appetite.

“What was food like in your day?” Paul asked.

“Well, it… I suppose it was… a bit more traditional than this. Cook didn’t make any foreign dishes apart from a few classic French recipes. Mum loved them,” she said. “Lots of roast meat. At least as long as it was available before the rationing.”

“Rationing?” Evie asked.

“Aye. Where I come from there’s a war on. There isn’t as much food as there is in times of peace, and to make sure that everyone gets their share there are ration books. You take them to the butcher’s, baker’s, and so on, and you get a certain ration of bacon or bread a week,” Lily explained.

“What about chocolate?” Ewan asked.

“That too,” she said.

“Oh. That’s bad,” Evie said softly, looking shocked.

“You get used to it.”

“Just like the bombs,” Lucy muttered.

“Those too. It’s very… quiet at night.”

“Why’s that?” Ewan inquired.

“The Germans were dropping bombs on us, to destroy factories and ports. And to… to show us that they were stronger. They did it at night so people are more upset.”

“The Germans? But… but they’re Lottie’s people. Lottie would never do such a thing!” Evie gasped.

“That was a very long time ago, Evie, remember? Lily is supposed to be older than Beattie, but she travelled in time. There’s nothing to worry about, aye?” Dave said.

“And you’re right about Lottie and her people. Times have changed,” Rose added. 

“That’s a bit hard to get used to,” Lily said.

“Wait till you’ve met Lottie. She’s lovely,” Paul reassured her.

“Where is she?”

“She’s still on holiday in Germany,” Rose said. “Until Thursday, when I go to the airport to pick her up. You can come if you want to. That is, unless you want to go to school?”

“I think I’ll have to go back eventually, won’t I?” Lily said bravely. “I don’t want to miss so many classes.”

Dave looked at her in surprise. He had been terrified Over There, of getting into touch with too many of the natives. Chatting with Rita and his parents had been risky, and if it hadn’t been for Donna, he thought he would have possibly… curled up somewhere and waited for it to be over. He felt like a right coward in the face of this brave young woman.

“About that,” Rose said, reaching for his hand. Her touch roused him from his self-conscience.

He looked at her. They might as well tell them now. “All of you are missing classes next week,” he said.

The bairns looked at them with a mixture of curiosity and wariness, and of course they also verbalised their surprise.

He took a deep breath. “Rose and I are getting married.”

“What, next week?” Ewan asked.

“I thought you said you wanted to wait a while yet,” Paul said softly.

Rose and he exchanged a surprised glance. Had they gotten this so horribly wrong? Maybe they should have stopped to think of the children, instead of tending to their own need of security.

“It’s because of the accident,” he began feebly.

Lucy looked at him for a few beats, and eventually she nodded. “I understand.”

Her brothers and sister looked at her. “I lost… my Lily in that accident. No offence, Lily. It feels… it’s horrible. It’s like a part of you goes missing and you have nae chance to get it back.”

“But getting married won’t protect you from bad things happening,” Paul said.

“No, but it protects those who are left behind, and… it’s… about… I don’t know, it’s hard to describe,” Lucy said.

“Would you be sadder if you and Mum would have been married?” Evie asked.

Dave’s insides froze. “No, no, of course not. I miss Rita a lot, and I regret that we weren’t married. I don’t want to make that mistake again.”

“But why so soon? Why can’t you wait a few months yet?” Ewan asked, tears pooling in his eyes. “Are you having a baby after all?”

“No, we’re not having a baby, Ewan,” Rose chimed in. “Chances are you’ll never have another brother or sister.”

“Why?” Evie asked.

“Because I can’t have any,” Rose said. 

“Oh, oh, I’m sorry,” Lucy said. “Is that… are you absolutely sure about that?”

“Yeah,” Rose said lightly, standing to collect the empty dishes. “Would anyone like ice cream?”

No one said no, of course. After Rose had gone into the kitchen, Dave turned to the bairns again. “I’m sorry we didn’t ask you first. Is the idea of us getting married next week really so terrible?”

They looked sheepish, and Lily in particular looked uncomfortable. This was clearly something that back in her day would never have been discussed with children. Besides, they were strangers to her, again, and he knew that the situation was awkward for her. “Lily, would you mind checking if Rose needs some help?”

Glad for the escape, Lily stood and hurried through to the kitchen.

“You said you wanted to wait. You never married Mum. And… Rose is so… new,” Paul tried to explain.

“It doesn’t mean I love Rose more than I loved your Mum, Paul. After all, she gave me you lot,” Dave said. He took another deep breath. “What happened to you wanting to adopt her?” He’d purposely turned the phrase around, and it worked. The children chuckled a bit, and he hoped they understood that if anything, they were accepting Rose into their family, rather than the other way round.

“If you marry her, she can adopt them sooner, right?” Lucy asked.

Dave nodded.

“I miss Mum,” Evie said after a while. “But I love Rose too.”

“That is okay, sweetheart,” Dave said. “You love people differently. We all do it because people are different.” What was he doing explaining love to a five-year-old?

“It’s just a very big surprise,” Paul said. “Can we still remember Mum? You know, by looking at pictures together?”

Dave was torn between a sob and a laugh. The sound that left him sounded strange. “Of course we can, Paul. Ewan?”

“It means that Rose is going to stay with us forever, right? That she won’t leave one day?”

Dave sighed inwardly. Rose’s job was dangerous. She might be killed any day. Or, considering what happened on their journey back, or Rita’s accident, she could be gone just like that. “Aye, you can be sure of that. She wouldn’t want you to adopt her if she weren’t serious about us. And I wouldn’t let you. Neither would the court.”

When Rose and Lily returned to the dining room with a tray of bowls, spoons and three dewy boxes of ice cream, it occurred to Dave that they had taken a lot longer to return than necessary. He smiled gratefully at Rose. Lily put down the cafetière and three mugs. The coffee was already releasing its aroma.

Rose allowed each of them two scoops of ice cream, and to his surprise Evie didn’t complain when she got a smaller helping than everyone else. She pulled the bowl towards her eagerly and pushed it away when she was done, leaning back with a satisfied sigh.

After dinner, Lily and Lucy did the washing up that didn’t go into the dish washer while the boys and Evie sat down at the big table again to do their homework. Dave had made that a condition for their trip to Rose’s straight after school. For later he had promised them a film or a game before they went home but only provided they finished their homework first. In all likelihood, Evie was going to fall asleep in the car.

“I’m sorry,” Dave said to Rose as they sat down on the sofa in the lounge. “I had no idea they’d feel this way.”

Rose smiled gently. “I want to be your wife, but if the kids feel it’s too soon I’m happy to wait.”

“I don’t want to wait. I’ve wasted enough time,” he said. “Besides, they still want you to adopt them, and I think they understand that that is a far bigger step than us getting married. The wedding is just… a bigger thing for them because they understand it better, it's more common than being adopted.”

“Are you sure they know what it means?” Rose asked.

“I think so, but I’ll make sure they do.” He leaned in to kiss her. He missed her and being able to kiss her whenever he felt like it. He was more in lust with her than he’d ever been with Rita, although she’d been a great lover. Talk about loving people differently. “I can’t wait for Roseday,” he sighed, resting his forehead against hers after the kiss.

“Neither can I,” she breathed.

“I think I might be… I’ve decided to go through Rita’s things to make room for yours.”

“You and Lucy should do it together. There might be some things she’d like to keep,” Rose said, shifting so she could lie with her head tucked into the curve of his neck and shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her hair.

“That’s a great idea.”


	12. Twelve

Twelve

Dave paused as he sorted through Rita’s clothes, surveying the piles of long- and short-sleeved shirts and jumpers that surrounded him. He’d frequently been unable to stop himself from burying his nose in an article of clothing, memories washing over him and making it difficult to part with it. At this rate, he’d never get through it all.

It felt somehow wrong to be doing this, and he had that strange notion that last night’s dream was going to come true. He’d dreamt that Rita suddenly returned from... wherever, demanding to know what he was doing with her things.

The entire floor and virtually every other flat surface were littered with her things. For now, he was just dealing with her clothes, since they took up the most space and needed to go first. He wanted everything to be ready for when Rose moved in. Rita’s personal effects could wait. He wanted to go through them before Lucy did, to remove anything potentially embarrassing. Not that he expected there to be much. He’d already spirited away her last diary. The only things he'd been unable to even look let alone take out of the hospital bag at were the clothes Rita had worn the day of the accident. 

There was a soft knock on his door and he invited his visitor in. He’d decided that each of the children could take a keepsake of Rita. It was Lucy and Lily. While Lucy entered the room, Lily remained standing just outside the door, either unsure of what to do or not wanting to intrude. “Please, join us, Lily,” he said, smiling at her encouragingly.

“I’m not sure I should, Dave,” she said.

“I invited you, didn’t I?”

“Please, Lily. It’s all right. Unless… it’s about your Mum?”

Lily stiffened. “What about her?”

Lucy bit her lip and Dave ducked his head. This shouldn’t have happened.

“I thought that seeing all my mum’s things might remind you of your mum,” Lucy said. Dave hoped that Lily would not choose this time to press them about her mother’s fate. He wasn’t sure either of them could handle telling her that her mother had been killed in an air raid on London along with her father.

“No. And yes. Their clothes are different.”

“I suppose they are,” Dave said, looking down at a jumper on his lap. 

“I think I’d just like one of her scarves,” Lucy said.

He looked up. “Just that?”

“Aye. I don’t think I could bear wearing any of her things.”

“Besides, the scarf is enough,” Lily offered and got both their attention. “It’d carry her scent and that of her soap or perfume for a long time.”

“Aye,” Dave agreed. He knew the power of smell when it came to wanting to recall a person.

“I… I did it with my parents’ things,” Lily said, her eyes widening as the memory of their death returned. “They’re dead, aren’t they?”

Dave nodded. “I’m afraid so, love.” Seeing how she was struggling to keep her composure, he reached for her hand and drew her down onto the floor beside him.

“That’s why you were so evasive when I asked for them,” Lily whispered.

“Yes,” Lucy said. She knelt on the floor beside her and hugged her.

A shuddering breath escaped Lily and Dave decided to leave the two of them alone.

“Please,” Lily said, closing her fingers around his wrist. “Stay.”

He nodded and rocked back onto his heels, draping his arm around the girl’s shoulders. He couldn’t help wondering how many of her memories had started to return. Things were looking up in that department, at least.

-:-

Anna slapped him.

Hard.

“You bastard!” she cried, bursting into tears and turning away from him.

“Anna, that was absolutely and utterly uncalled for and not necessary!” Robin gasped, turning towards her.

Dave smoothed his palm over his cheek where Anna’s slap was burning itself into his skin. He imagined the imprint of five fingers on it. He was not going to say he was sorry, however.

“How could you? And so soon after her death? It’s been hardly a year!” Anna cried. “You never bothered to marry Rita, although she gave you three children.”

“She didn’t want to get married, Anna,” Dave said calmly. He was sure that Rita had discussed this with her sister at great length, so he thought that a gentle reminder was better than exploding. Her slap had made him surprisingly calm.

“You should have insisted!”

“I would have lost her if I had.”

Anna sagged a little and Robin wrapped his arms around her. “There, there, my love.”

“We’d love you to be there with us,” Dave said.

“Is she pregnant?” Anna asked, her eyes red and puffy.

Dave sighed. “She can’t have any children of her own.”

“That’s why she’s stealing yours?”

“She isn’t stealing them, Anna,” Robin said. “She’s adopting them, and thus giving them a safe future in case something happened to Dave. Neither is this about money, as you well know.”

Dave suppressed a smile and rubbed his cheek.

“Who’s your best man?” Robin asked, giving Anna some time to compose herself.

“I have a groomsmaid, actually. It’s Sarah. If she wants to, that is.”

“You haven’t even asked her yet?” Anna snorted. “If she really is Rita’s best friend she’ll say no. Anyway. A woman! You ought to ask Robin. God knows the trouble he’s gone to for you.”

“Anna! That’s enough!” Robin said firmly. “I’m so sorry, Dave. Of course, I don’t expect you to ask me. I’m glad enough you asked me to be Ewan’s godfather.”

“Rose has a best man, so we thought it’d be fitting to have a bit of a reversal of roles here,” Dave said.

“We’d be happy to be there with you. Well, I am, anyway,” Robin said.

“Thank you. I was hoping you’d be there. Both of you,” Dave said, giving Anna’s arm a squeeze. “I’ll go and make some tea, so take your time to choose whatever you like from Rita’s things.” He looked at the neat piles of clothing in the bedroom. Just like Lucy, he’d opted to keep only one of Rita’s scarves. There hadn’t been time yet to go through her personal belongings, but he wanted to wait on that until after Roseday. He feared that if he started with them he’d be in no mood to spoil Rose.

They had decided that all the clothes they didn’t want would be donated to help a poor woman somewhere in Glasgow. The bairns had each taken their favourite t-shirt to remind them of Rita, so that left the rest of Rita’s wardrobe for charity. He’d drop the bags off at the shelter for women victims of domestic violence first thing in the morning, before going to the studio to get it ready for Roseday.

It occurred to him as he poured the water into the mugs, that perhaps giving up the studio wasn’t such a good idea. Not because he’d lose his ‘love nest.’ He feared he might not get the uninterrupted time he needed to get his work done if the bairns were so close. There was the added thought of intentionally bringing strangers to Hillingdon Drive. That paps were bad enough, he didn’t need to invite more prying eyes to their home.

When the tea bags were steeping, he picked up his mobile to tell Rose about Lily’s breakthrough.

“Yeah, she told me,” Rose said.

Dave closed his eyes. “Sorry for the delay. It was a busy day.”

“How did Anna take the news of the wedding?”

“Not well. My cheek’s still stinging.”

“And here I thought the patented Tyler slap was bad,” Rose chuckled.

“It’s nae funny!”

“Of course it isn’t. Poor love.”

“Patented Tyler slap, eh?”

“Mum’s slap, not mine. The Doctor was on the receiving end of it once or twice,” Rose told him.

“Did he deserve them?”

“I suppose so.”

“Good.”

“Are you jealous?”

“No. Just… I don’t want to talk about him, Rose. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s bad style, anyway.”

“Rose.”

“Shush, you!” Rose said.

“So, about Lily. Is there any news?” Dave asked, returning to a realm he found less alien.

“Still stumped. It seems that we’re looking at perfectly natural causes for her amnesia,” Rose said.

Dave didn’t believe it and he told her so.

Rose gave an exasperated sigh. “I know. I feel the same way. But there isn’t anything. Nothing at all.”

“This is so frustrating.”

“You’re telling me.”

“I might have something to take your mind off things,” he said.

“Oh?” she asked suggestively.

He laughed. “Someone’s looking forward to tomorrow?”

“You aren’t?”

“Oh aye, I am. I was thinking about something else, though. I don’t think I want to buy the house next door anymore. The idea of having strangers in my house if I move my studio there gives me the creeps,” he said.

“Oh. But… what happened to having more space?”

“We’ll think of something. Torchwood doesn’t happen to have the bigger-on-the-inside technology? You know, the one that made the TARDIS smaller on the outside?”

Rose laughed. “No. That’s Time Lord technology.”

“Too bad. I thought I read about it in Harry Potter too. Or Mary Poppins, or—“

“Quiet, mister. We don’t have it. But wouldn’t it be brilliant?” she mused.

“Aye. Look, Rose, I’ve got to go. Donna’s here to give the girls a lift. Are you sure they’ll be all right at yours? Overnight, I mean?”

“Dave. They’re nearly sixteen. I think they can look after themselves,” Rose said.

“I know. I’m just worried.”

-:-

He bent Rose over the old kitchen table and took her from behind. He just pulled down her trousers and knickers, found her deliciously wet already, and pushed into her. Holding her by the hips, he thrust into her a couple of times before he came.

Rose moaned in time with his movements, but he realised when he regained his senses that he hadn’t taken care of her properly. The blood rushed into his face as he offered her a damp flannel and a glass of water.

“Hey, c’me here,” she said, setting both items aside. It occurred to him that he should have given them to her one after the other. Still, he allowed her to draw him into her arms.

He held her tightly for a few minutes, taking in her clean scent and her warmth.

“Are you all right?” she asked when he was ready to let go of her. He tucked himself away.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “That wasn’t very gentlemanly.” He gazed at her nakedness below the waist and gasped as he saw their combined juices shining on the inside of her thigh. He took the flannel. “Here, let me.”

Dave took care to clean her up, finding her face flaming red when he looked up at her.

“Thanks,” she said, ruffling his hair gently. When he was done, she pulled up her clothes.

“I’m sorry. That was so rude. I don’t know what’s gotten into me,” he said.

“ _I missed you_ is one of my favourites,” she said, tucking the tip of her tongue into the corner of her lips.

Of course, it was too late now to rectify that, so he didn’t even try to wiggle his way out of it. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

She cupped his cheek and kissed him. “I know you will. Don’t worry, yeah? Hello, my love.”

“Hello,” he said, smiling against her lips. He kissed her, moaning in gratitude when she parted her lips to allow him in. He loved the feeling of her tongue brushing against his, how she moved it over and around his. It reminded him of how good she was at going down on him, but after what had just happened he knew he couldn’t expect her to do that for him too. “I love you, Rose. For… letting… for being so understanding.”

“It’s been a long week,” she said, brushing her thumb over his lower lip. 

“Have you been all right with the girls? Apart from the night terror thing?” he asked.

“Yeah. Both of them are wonderful. They want to go back to school tomorrow,” she said, kissing his cheek. “Can we not talk about the outside world for the next twenty hours or so, please?”

Twenty hours.

They were going to spend twenty hours of quality time together. He had forgotten about that wonderful aspect of Roseday.

“Actually, there will be some outside world. We cannae stay here all day. Besides, it reminds me too much of work. I was thinking of dinner and a nice hotel. In the Trossachs.”

“What?” Rose stared at him.

“Is that… is that all right?”

“Yeah, it’s just… I’m not sure if I’ve got the right clothes with me. And I have to pick up Lottie at the airport tomorrow.”

“You don’t need anything for bed, love. And dinner will be delicious, but in the pub that goes with the hotel. You’ll be fine. Besides, you look great already.”

“Charmer.”

“I cannae help myself,” he grinned.

She kissed him.

“And Lottie?”

“Mickey’s picking her up, and he’s on the school run,” he said. “I see now why you’d like him to be your best man.”

“Have you had a chance to ask Sarah yet?”

“No, she’s on a teaching course down south, and I don’t want to ask her on the phone.”

“That’s… very short notice for her, innit?”

“I’m sure she’ll say yes,” he said. It occurred to him that having Rita’s best friend as his groomsmaid might look a bit strange, but Sarah had also become his best friend. He made a mental note to discuss this with Rose before Sarah returned, just to make absolutely sure.

“Shall we?” he asked.

When they arrived at the hotel a couple of hours later, Rose slapped his bum when she saw him take her overnight bag out of the boot of his car, along with his own. He laughed and asked her to take the two pairs of hiking boots and the camera equipment.

The hotel was minuscule, but the hearts of the two owners, a happy couple, were all the bigger for it. The women fell over each other to make them feel welcome. If they recognised Rose they didn’t let on. He had worked for them a couple of years ago, when the hotel was freshly renovated and in need of new pictures for their brochure and web presence. Dave had done such a beautiful job that they had invited him to stay at their place free of charge. He’d never taken advantage of it, but now seemed the perfect opportunity to do so.

The inn was a former Victorian temperance hotel, which had been remodelled to offer generous en-suites after, Trudi told them, the interior designer had decided to make one room out of two.

“Excellent decision! This is lovely,” Rose exclaimed as Trudi showed them around. 

The proprietress beamed. “It was my brother’s idea. He has impeccable taste.”

She told them that she had booked a table for them in the ‘pub’. Rose’s eyes went wide when Trudi told them that Linda was preparing a special meal for them.

“You, Mr Tiler, haven’t been entirely honest with me,” Rose said once Trudi had left them in their room at the far end of the hall. She snatched the brochure from the folder on the bureau. “3 AA rosettes for the restaurant and a Hotel Chef of the Year award for Linda McGonagall in the kitchen?” she read.

He shrugged. “Don’t be mad. I meant it when I said I’m going to make it up to you.”

“Yeah,” Rose said, still looking at the leaflet, “but I thought you were going to spoil me rotten with your tongue, rather than spoiling my tongue rotten.”

“Who says I’m nae going to do that?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him for a lingering kiss. “I hadn’t planned to ravish you like I did.”

“But you’d planned to come here?”

He waggled his eyebrows, helpless to resist the bad pun. It earned him a gentle slap to his shoulder and an exasperated sigh, followed by another kiss.

“I love you, Dave,” Rose said. “I love you so much.”

His heart skipped a beat at her words, it still did, and he hoped it would never change. He dipped his head down towards hers for a kiss, and while the previous ones had been enjoyable, they had lacked in intensity. He slid his tongue against Rose’s, savouring her taste. She’d eaten an apple in the car, and her tongue still held the flowery aroma of the fruit.

With one hand framing her face, fingers sliding into her hair, and the other on her bum he pulled her closer and captured her lips. Still startled by what had happened at the studio, he realised that she must be able to feel him harden and began to withdraw a little. He wanted to spoil her and he needed to conserve his energy so that he could. 

“Rose,” he said, breaking free of her.

“Yes?” she said, panting slightly and licking her swollen lips.

“I need to… I’m not… I want to take my time later, aye?”

Disappointment flickered briefly in her eyes. He understood. He’d had his way with her earlier in the afternoon, and now he was essentially teasing her. “I can… if you need to… I mean I could…” Clumsily, he reached to cup her sex. “Before the walk?”

Rose bit her lips. “I’ll wait. You know what they say about anticipation.”


	13. Thirteen

Thirteen

“Why don’t you want to move out of the studio?” Rose asked after the young Polish waiter had placed the starters in front of them. The platter was beautifully arranged with homemade oatcakes that went with locally caught salmon prepared in a tartare, a mousse and in home-smoked slices. 

“I told you,” he said, looking up from his plate. “The idea of having strangers in the house makes my skin crawl. Particularly since my soon-to-be-wife is famous —“ she scoffed at that “— And, honestly, I’m a little bit worried that people will use getting their photographs taken as an excuse, when what they really want is the chance that they might see you.”

Rose traced the shape of the handle of her fork with her finger. He felt horrible. Now he’d given her the impression that she might be the reason he would feel uncomfortable in his own home. It shouldn’t be like that. What was wrong with him today?

“You already said that, Dave“

“I didn’t get that quite right. I also am worried that having the bairns so close will be too much of a distraction,” he said, picking up his fork. “That sounds just as awful, doesn’t it?”

“No. It’s your job, Dave. You need a quiet place to work without interuption. Besides, you can always set up a home office as well to do post-production work when you're feeling lonely on Renfrew Street,” Rose said. “But I’d hate to think that you don’t want to move on my behalf. I don’t want that. I’d rather we continued as we are now than to allow that to happen.”

Her words drew the colour from his face. Continue with what they were? Living in two different homes? “Rose… what… are you trying to tell me something?”

“Yeah. Please do what makes you happy. Professionally. I will do the same thing, continue my double life with Torchwood and the foundations.”

He nodded slowly.

Rose took her wine glass and raised it in a toast. “To doing what we love.”

He smiled feebly and sipped his wine. It was as smooth as olive oil, and took on the same colour when the light hit it just right; the perfect accompaniment for the fish.

“We’ll have to think about remodelling the place anyway,” he said.

“Is that why we’re here?”

He blinked.

“Because Trudi’s brother is an interior architect? A very good one, mind you.”

“No, I… I just wanted to finally accept their hospitality after turning them down for so long,” he said. “That’s not a bad idea. Perhaps I’ll see about talking to him.”

He finally tried his food, scooping some of the mousse up and putting it onto the oatcake. The mousse alone was sensational, but the combined textures of the crumbly biscuit and the smooth salmon was divine. Davee closed his eyes and hummed very softly as he enjoyed it.

“You really don’t want to buy the Prestons’ house? It’s a bit smaller than yours, right? It isn’t L-shaped,” she said. She finally tried her food and Dave watched, hoping she'd enjoy it as much as he. He needn’t have worried: the expression on her face was one of pure rapture. “This is sublime!”

He smiled, taking another bite of his starter. “I’m not sure, actually. We’ve been wanting to remodel the house for a while,” he said.

“But you could never even agree on a colour for the kitchen wall,” Rose said.

“No.”

“Well, why don’t we get a detailed floor plan to see if we can’t make more room by rearranging things a bit?” she suggested. 

“We never really thought about that. We just made it up as we went,” he said finally. “This is sublime!”

Rose laughed. “I can’t imagine you in that big house all by yourself. Did you have the studio on Renfrew Street back then? When you met Rita?”

“I practically lived there. The house is a bit big for just one person,” he said, reaching across the table for her hand. “You know I can’t imagine you by yourself in your house either.”

“You know the TARDIS,” she said. “Once you get used to all that space it’s hard to go back to something smaller.”

“Oh.”

“But you’re right. It’s only a house. My house. It’s not a home yet.”

“What do you want to do with it?”

“Sell it? To do my bit when we buy the Prestons’ place. The bairns’ rooms are tiny. And the bookcase on the top landing is full to bursting. Imagine what will happen when I add my collection. We could have a proper little study. Or a library,” she said.

“You’ve been giving this some thought, eh?” he said, brushing his thumb over her knuckles.

“Shouldn’t I have?” she asked, pushing the tip of her tongue between her lips. It was hard to concentrate on his delicious food, but somehow they made it through all the courses.

“It’s just a shame about the handprints on the wall in your bedroom,” he said over coffee.

“We could make new ones.”

To his surprise he nodded at once. “We could take your bed.”

“What about yours?” she said, her eyes widening. It was the bed he had shared with Rita, and he didn’t feel entirely comfortable in it any more. It was somehow wrong to sleep in _their_ bed, with her by his side. 

“Rose. I know you’ve been uncomfortable in it. Besides, it was old and second-hand when Rita moved in.”

“We could fix it. Give it a proper sanding, a new lick of paint. A new mattress,” she offered.

“We could just use the headboard,” Dave offered.

Her face lit up. “That is a great idea!” she said, winking. Then, lowering her voice, she said, “I’d like to use the one we have here.” She turned her hand in his and brushed her fingertips over his pulse point. His skin there was pale and soft, the blood vessels standing out against it in a greyish blue. He shivered in anticipation.

“Aye,” he growled.

It’d been too long, the fuck on the table in his studio. He could barely wait to make it up to her.

“Shall we?” she asked, closing her fingers around his wrist lightly.

“I think so, aye.”

They left the restaurant as quickly as they could. Rose grabbed him by the shoulders as she pushed past him into their room and pressed him against the dark wood to close the door. Rose seemed stronger to him in her aggressiveness, and a thought crossed his mind that he didn’t want to cross her in her function as a Torchwood agent. She pressed herself into him with her whole body, and he could feel the effect she had on him immediately.

Returning her kiss with all he had, he pushed his fingers into her hair to get at least a semblance of control. The only way for him to end the kiss was to turn his face away, which he did.

“Rose.”

It was his fault, really. He’d been starving her since he’d forced his own release from her. He should have returned the favour before they’d left for the short walk along the loch-side; that way, they’d have worked up an appetite too.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again,” she hissed, grabbing his crotch, making him rise onto his toes in an attempt to free himself.

“I’m sorry, Rose, I really am,” he said. Although he could understand her frustration, he was surprised by her sudden aggressive impatience. He realised that she must have been keeping herself in check, and that that ability too was a Torchwood-gained skill.

He had to admit, however, that her touch was also pleasant, and he closed his eyes as she loosened her grip on him somewhat. Her palm offered just the right amount of pressure to encourage him to harden further.

“Are you going to live up to your promise?” she asked, her lips only centimetres away from his ear. Her breath was warm on his skin and he shivered as it brushed over the fine hairs growing there.

He wasn’t sure whether to by offended by her lack of trust. Or was she just playing a game?

“‘Course I am.”

Rose stepped away from him, and the sudden cold that enveloped his body in her place brought him to his senses. His cock was straining against the material of his trousers, and he took in a shuddering breath to regain his composure. He needed to control himself if he wanted to live up to his promise.

Rose smiled at him, her lips swollen and her eyes glinting. “Good.”

“Just… good?”

She shrugged. “Yeah.”

“What would you like to do?” he asked, surprised at how the pace had suddenly slowed. It was all right by him; he owed her.

She closed the distance between them and placed her hand on his chest, brushing his pec with her thumb. “I think we need to relax. How about sharing a bath and finishing dinner?”

He blinked. Finish? They’d had a delicious Tiramisú-like pudding. The chef, Lee McGonagall, had picked up the recipe in her travels on the continent and adapted it, substituting Scotch for the Marillenschnaps, to make it more local. Alongside it, they’d had coffee from a relatively new coffee roasting house in Glasgow.

“Are you thinking of seconds?” he said, lowering his voice.

“Actually, I was thinking of a dram now, and seconds later. A dram and a bath.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said, going to the hall table where he’d seen the menu earlier. In the restaurant, at least, there’d been a long list of various whiskies on which he’d seen one or two names that interested him.

They relaxed in the hot bath facing each other, balancing tumblers of Scotch on the edge of the tub. Rose had piled her hair on top of her head in an untidy knot, and the locks that escaped it curled in the steamy air in the bathroom.

“It’s not quite as gorgeous as the bathroom in the towerhouse,” Rose said, sliding further into the water with a sigh, “but it’s fantastic.” Her wet skin brushed against his, reminding his body of the hard-on he’d sported earlier. Her feet came to rest on either side of his waist, and she relaxed so her knees fell open. Dave wasn’t sure if the foam they’d used was covering her modesty or sparking his imagination.

“Aye.” He sipped at his dram to distract him from these thoughts. The smokiness left a trail of peat and caramel and salt on his tongue and palate before it filled his stomach with swirling warmth. “This is perfect.”

Rose smiled. “The drink or… _this_ this?”

“Both. How’s yours?”

She tried her drink, rolling the mouthful around her mouth to allow the flavours to work their magic on her tongue before she swallowed. He looked on in fascination as the skin at the bottom of her throat tightened when her adam’s apple bobbed. The small indentation there was one of hi s favourite spots of her body, and he loved it when it glistened wetly as it did now. He preferred it, of course, when he was the reason for wetness pooling there. 

“Beautiful,” he whispered.

She shook her head minutely. “Sublime.” 

“I was thinking of you,” he said, starting to draw patterns on her knee. He wondered if she wasn’t going to feel cold.

She smiled coyly, even with the tip of her tongue showing between her lips. “I was talking about you.”

“Liar.”

“What am I supposed to say?”

“Nothing. Just… accept the compliment for what it is,” he said.

She smiled at him sweetly.

“Can I give you a back rub?” he asked, following sudden inspiration.

The way her face lit up made his heart skip a beat. It seemed that, for the first time that day, he was getting something right. He’d been such an egoistic bastard, first at the studio, and then when he had not insisted on going down on her.

Rose finished her whisky and with some difficulty, lots of giggling and a fair amount of water sloshing over the edge of the tub they managed to get into a position that allowed her to lean back against his chest. She remained resting there for a while, kissing and whispering to each other. Dave hoped they’d never lose this kind of easy-going intimacy, and he wondered briefly if keeping their Wednesday date would help.

Rose roused him from his thoughts with her fingers on his lips. Her touch was so light it tickled and he had to grin, thus shaking off her fingers. “Penny for your thoughts?”

He told her.

She didn’t reply at once.

“Rose?”

“It saddens me. The idea that one day we might not crave each other’s touch,” she said. “Or that we’d need a date night. A date and sex night. It was okay while we were dating, but now… we should be able to do what you did this afternoon. Have sex whenever we want to. Despite the children and our jobs. We’ll work around it. Or is that me being naive?”

“Not naive, no,” he said.

“But?”

“But… I think it’s enough if we don’t take each other for granted.”

“I don't think either of us will make that mistake again,” Rose said.

“True.”

They sat in silence.

“Can I have my back rub now, please?” she asked.

“Of course, sorry.”

When Rose sat up straight, the air and water were cool against his chest and he realised that they might not have as much time as he’d have liked them to.

-:-

Dave started massaging her by pouring water over her shoulders with his cupped hands to make the skin slick again. Then he worked his magic. He’d never given her a back rub before and she understood what a capital mistake that was when he started to knead and dig into her muscles. She’d had no idea how tense she was until he found the knots. She relaxed quickly into his touch, and she smiled as he heard him chuckle at her soft noises of delight.

“Why have you been keeping that talent from me?” she asked.

“You never asked.”

“There are many things I haven’t asked you about. Is there anything else as remotely pleasant to discover?”

“Dunno,” he rumbled softly, obviously lost in his own world as he worked the knots out of her muscles.

Rose was almost sorry when he was finished, and for a moment she was afraid he’d stop touching her. But then he slid his hands down her back. The muscles there were not as tight, so it didn’t take long for his finger relaxed her even more. His fingers traced the shape and ridges of her scars, and for once she didn’t mind him doing doing so. The only thing she regretted about the scars right then was that they made the skin rubbery and insensitive, so she couldn’t feel his touch the way she’d like to. She’d have loved to feel his touch.

She hoped he’d not ask her again to make the scars disappear. Removing them entirely right now felt wrong somehow, for the Doctor’s sake, but she ought to be able to let go of the Doctor now. 

And then she had an idea.

She smiled, raised her left shoulder and trapped Dave’s hand between it and the side of her neck. He stopped his ministrations and leaned forward a little. His lips were almost touching her ears when he said, “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I’ve just had an idea.”

“Share it with me?”

“No.”

She imagined his pout.

“You’ll find out eventually,” she promised.

“Am I going to like it?” he asked. 

“I hope so.”

“Good.”

“Dave? I’m starting to be a little cold.”

After she’d dried off she lay prone on the bed, her face turned toward the bathroom. Dave approached her, dressed only in a towel, bearing the tube of moisturising cream she took everywhere she went. He _knew_.

“Is it okay if I do this for you?” he asked almost shyly.

“Yeah,” she croaked, her voice filled with emotion. For the first time she wasn’t self-conscious about her scars. If she really was who — or what — she thought she was, then she’d gladly give him this gift.

To her surprise Dave sat astride her thighs, settling his weight just at the top, and, she couldn’t help noticing, the tip of his penis nestling between her buttocks. “Is this all right?” he asked.

She hummed, and before long he started to spread the lotion, which he’d warmed between his palms, on her scarred skin as well as on her good side. His strokes were confident and regular, and as he shifted to reach her shoulders more of his soft cock pressed into the crease of her arse. She wished he were hard and nudging her to find his way inside her.

“Dave,” she hummed.

“Aye, my love?”

“That’s quite enough.”

“But I love touching you,” he pouted. Still, he rose onto his knees so she could turn. The tip of his penis came to rest somewhere on the darker line connecting her navel and her mons. She was almost a bit disappointed that he wasn’t hard yet.

He dropped his hands to her breasts almost immediately and her eyes fluttered shut as he began to knead and caress them, raising her nipples with his fingers and, eventually, with his lips and tongue. When he sucked one of them into his mouth she cried out.

Anticipation indeed.

“My, my, Rose,” he crooned, letting go of her with a soft popping sound. At the same time, he pushed his fingers into the narrow space between his pelvis and hers, to feel how wet she was. Rose thought that he must find her ridiculously wet.

Which prompted her into saying, “Fuck me already, Dave.”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Please!”

“No. I’m going to make love to you like you deserve,” he said, shifting a little so that when he bent over he could kiss her, gently at first, and then passionately.

“Dave, please,” she moaned when he released her mouth. She felt his hand cupping the crown of her head and she thought that she’d never felt safer. Not even in the Time Lord’s arms.

She knew then that she was really starting to heal, and she felt her eyes fill with tears.

“Rose, love?” he asked.

“I’m all right,” she said, and although the words were simple and had often been misused, they had never been truer than they were now.


	14. Fourteen

Fourteen

He parted the plump lips of her sex with his thumb and brushed her clit with it, still cupping the crown of her head and looking deeply into her eyes. She cried out at his touch. Rose arched into him as much as she could, pushing her chest towards him as she rose onto her shoulders and shifted her head off of his palm.

“You’re so beautiful, Rose. Do you know how beautiful you are when I touch you?” he asked, his lips close by her ear; they tickled her and she had to giggle, flinching away from him again. He didn’t remove his hand from between them, but let go of her clit for a moment.

She relaxed, looking at him. She didn’t know how to respond to that. She was overwhelmed by the look of love and awe on his face as he smiled down at her. The serious intensity she saw launched ripples of pleasure across her body.

“Kiss me,” she said, hoping that shutting him up would protect her from her inability to speak.

He obliged, starting his kiss by nibbling on her bottom lip and building up to something unhurried that distracted her from his hand between her legs but also promised more. She danced her tongue around his, enjoying the taste of whisky which eventually washed away to reveal pure Dave. Rose reached up to push her fingers into his hair and to cup his cheek. She would have loved to open her legs to accommodate him better, but Dave wouldn’t budge and continued kissing her, breaking only for a lungful of air and to tilt his head towards the other side.

Eventually, he withdrew his hand completely from between her legs; she was about to protest when his fingers started travelling up her torso and came to rest on her breast to give it the same treatment the other one had received earlier. It was amazing how Dave found just the right amount of pressure to make his touch pleasurable as well as erotic, and how deftly he played with her nipple.

At the same time, however, she felt him grow hard against her stomach, and she pushed up against him as far she could to encourage him even more. He’d been serious about taking his time to make it up to her.

“Dave,” she murmured, pressing a quick kiss against his lips as they came up for breath and she got the chance to push him away.

He looked at her.

“You’re driving me crazy,” she complained.

“I thought that was the point of the exercise?”

“It’s a bit too much; or not enough. ’s lovely, but if you don’t do something soon I’ll fall asleep on you,” she said. She bucked into him briefly.

“Oh,” he said, crestfallen. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

She cupped his cheek and brushed her thumb over his swollen bottom lip. “Don’t be sorry, Dave. I love what you’re doing. I just want… more.” She held his gaze briefly, deliberating how far she could push him at this point. He seemed so vulnerable, had been since he’d taken her earlier this afternoon, and she didn’t want him to feel any worse than he already did. “I want your mouth between my legs. Or your fingers or your cock.”

He smiled a lazy smile. “I think that can be arranged.”

Shifting to kneel beside rather than astride her, he kissed his way down her body, stopping to lave and gently bite each nipple, and, further along the journey, her hipbones before he finally touched her folds in earnest. Rose cried out in relief when he brushed his thumbs over them, feathering the pads of them over her clit in the process. Then he did something that was new to her, but which she found as exciting and enjoyable.

Dave pulled at each labia bit by bit, engorging them even more, before kissing them. The softness of his lips against hers was an entirely more exquisite than his soft fingers, and when he added the tip and then the flat of his tongue, Rose was in heaven.

An undignified gurgle and a drowned squeak escaped her as she finally felt him lick at her wet flesh. She couldn’t have opened her legs any wider for him if she’d wanted, and while she sought purchase with one hand in the sheets, she entwined her fingers with his as he sought for more contact with her in turn.

“Dave…” she whispered. His name was all she could say, but at this moment. His name conveyed all she needed to tell him, love, encouragement, thanks, direction. 

She’d been so looking forward to his touch that she came when he pushed his fingers inside her and sucked the bundle of flesh above them into his mouth. Rose cried his name again, sitting up as the muscles in her stomach contracted and rippled around his massaging fingers. He flattened his tongue against her to give her a chance to relax without letting go of her completely.

Rose slumped back into the pillows as the world faded briefly into blackness.

She felt him crawl up her body and she pulled him blindly towards her in the need to feel as much of him as closely to her as possible. Something about his lovemaking had shaken her deeply, but she was unable, for the moment, to say what that was. Dave wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, sensing her need.

“Sshh, Rose, I’ve got you. I’m here, my love,” he whispered, peppering her temple and hair with little kisses. She was glad that he was such a cuddler and gave her the time to recover after her orgasm.

“That was amazing,” she sighed, smiling. When she kissed him in thanks she tasted herself on him.

He grinned, making that adorable sound that went with it. She couldn’t fault him for being proud of what he’d done to her. It amazed her again and again that they were able to give each other so much pleasure.

“I’d like you inside me now, if you… want. Or can,” she said, reaching down to press her palm against his half-hard length. “I could…?”

“Kiss me, Rose,” he said, wiggling away form her before he rolled on his back, bringing her with him. He wanted her to take over.

Rose kissed him, and as she shifted to lie half on top of him, she could feel him harden against her hip as she deepened the kiss and used her tongue to rouse him. Over time, she had discovered that a stroke of her tongue to the right spot in his mouth, to the side of his palate, could make him hard just as quickly as touching his cock.

Dave groaned into her mouth and pushed his hips against hers. “Ride me, Rose.”

She straddled him, but instead of taking him inside her straightaway she played with his penis. She rubbed herself against him, coating him with her juices and spreading his own along his length. Rose had to support herself with her hands on his shoulders as she worked her clit against his cock in the process.

It was still so sensitive that soon she was ready for another orgasm.

Dave gasped in surprise when she finally aligned him with her entrance and began to push down slowly. She would have liked to take him in one quick motion, but she wanted to savour how he felt without a skin of latex between them. The sensation of his skin against hers was familiar but she’d missed it, despite their afternoon activities.

Through the veil of her hair she could see Dave open his mouth in a silent cry and push his head back into the pillow. She wanted to lick the line of his throat and the tendons working there but it was all she could do to keep herself upright. “You’re so beautiful, Dave,” she said, echoing his earlier sentiment. She wanted to kiss the crescents of his lashes as he squeezed his eyes shut, and bury her nose in the indentation just below his jawbone. “So beautiful,” she repeated as she sat with him buried inside her.

Dave opened his legs a little so he slid even deeper inside her. He looked at her, cupping her jaw as he sat up a little. She sucked his thumb into her mouth, making him groan and his eyes flutter shut.

As she began to move he slid his hands down her arms and to her waist to hold rather than guide her. She squeezed her muscles around him, gyrated her hips and rose and fell in the familiar pattern they both enjoyed. It wasn’t long before she had to let go of his chest to be able to tip her pelvis forward, and her head fell backwards as she arched towards him.

“Oh, Dave, Dave,” she moaned, increasing the speed of her movements to drive herself to another orgasm.

She must have been inattentive for a moment because suddenly Dave strengthened his hold around her waist and turned them so she was beneath him. Almost in the same movement, he hooked his elbows beneath her knees to open her even wider to him. The new angle brushed against the right spots and with a few deep thrusts of his, her world faded into darkness once more. The sensation of him moving inside her, his groans and intermingled words were so erotic that she was so lost in her pleasure that she was unable to vocalise the depth of her pleasure.

Moments later she felt him pulse inside her, his come warm and sticky, adding to her own juices. She managed to clench her muscles around him to give him even more pleasure as he groaned, his throat a long line above her lips once more.

Then he fell into her arms.

-:-

“You’re what?” Lottie cried in delight when they told her about their wedding plans the next evening. “So soon?”

“Aye,” Dave said, pouring her another glass of wine. She drank most of it as the bairns and he took it in turns to tell Lottie about the events of the past fortnight, and her reactions shifted from envious, to horrified, to relieved during the narrative.

“I’d been wondering why Lucy and Lily aren’t here,” Lottie said.

“They’re staying at Rose’s house, because it’s her home,” Evie explained eagerly.

Lottie frowned.

“Over There,” Ewan added. “Dad went there when he disappeared, didn’t you, Dad?”

“Aye, I did. We were hoping that the familiar surroundings would help her.”

“Is it working?”

“Well, she remembers that her parents died in London, and that she went through their things afterwards,” Dave said. “It came back to her when she walked in on me sorting through Rita’s things.”

“So it wasn’t really Rose’s house that triggered her memories?” Lottie concluded.

“No, it must have been the familiarity of the scene, of finding me with Rita’s things scattered all over the room,” Dave said.

“Yes, we kept her perfume,” Evie said, “and each of us got to have our favourite thing. So we can smell her and remember her.”

“It’s a good addition to the photos,” Paul said.

Dave looked from one child to the other, thinking that they were doing exceptionally well. He didn’t doubt for a moment that they did missed Rita. More often than not, there would frequently be tears when they looked at photos together. But he was also amazed at how much they already loved Rose. They had welcomed her into their family very quickly. Dave hoped that they wouldn’t wake one day and think that Rose was really just a substitute.

He frowned. What was he thinking? That wasn’t going to happen; it was the inner Anna in him thinking this. The kids were very well aware of what adopting Rose — or, rather, being adopted by her — meant. It was something they couldn’t break off when they realised they’d made a mistake. Dave decided to ask them again, individually, to make absolutely sure. He might even ask Sarah to support him in this.

“Dad?” Paul asked, touching his arm to rouse him from his thoughts.

He looked up and smiled at his oldest boy. “I was just thinking.”

“What about?” Ewan asked.

“About how great you are with Rose,” he said. He didn’t want to manipulate them by suggesting words that reflected his feelings for her but didn’t do theirs justice.

“I love Rose,” Evie said earnestly.

“You didn’t fight with her, did you?” Ewan asked, shock lacing his fear.

“No!” Dave said. “No, I didn’t. We’re fine.”

“Good,” Paul said, leaning closer so Dave could drape his arm around his son's shoulders.

Dave looked at Lottie, who studied them closely. Maybe he ought to ask her too. After all, she spent a lot of time with the children, and she was very good with them. Besides, he trusted her to tell him the truth.

Lottie appeared to have had the same idea. After they had tucked the children in, she asked him if he had a minute.

Dave was a bit nervous when they sat down in the living room. He was afraid she was going to hand in her notice, but he needn’t have worried. Lottie was just as afraid of him telling her that she wasn’t needed any more.

They laughed when they realised it. “What gave you that idea?” Dave asked.

“Well, Rose is going to move in with you lot, isn’t she? I was thinking that I wouldn’t be needed if that happened.”

“That’s true, but Rose and I have crazy work schedules. Of course we need you. I trust you with them, and more importantly, _they_ trust you completely,” he said.

“That’s a relief,” Lottie said, smiling. “I was afraid that I’d lose you. You’re my family away from home, and I was hoping that… well, I could stay with you until I’ve finished my degree.”

Dave was surprised. He’d expected her to want to return home. “Are you absolutely sure? We love having you here, don’t get me wrong, but… isn’t this a bit… domestic? Looking after the bairns instead of going out? Discovering the world?”

“I think I’m learning more here than I could anywhere else,” Lottie said. “I’ve signed the Official Secrets Act so you can trust me with Torchwood business. I think that’s a great privilege.”

“I hadn’t looked at it that way. Look, Lottie, we were thinking about remodelling the house,” Dave said, quickly sketching out the idea about the Prestons’ home. “If you stay with us you’ll need a bigger room, with better light, right?”

Lottie nodded but she was wringing her hands.

“I’d like to include you in the plans for the new house. You could have two rooms, one facing north for your work, and a bathroom all to yourself,” he began.

Lottie’s face lit up. He raised a cautionary hand. “But I’m afraid I won’t be able to pay you as much as now.”

“I don’t care, Dave! This is so much better than what I’d have if I stayed here on my own. Have you checked the rents lately?” she asked, sitting on the edge of the sofa. He could sense she was deliberating throwing her arms around his neck in gratitude, so he was prepared when she had the courage to hug him. He held her closely, smiling.

“Thank you so much. For everything,” she said.

“Aren’t you… I mean, don’t you miss your family? Germany?”

“No,” she said. “I’ve gotten so used to Scotland that I felt out of place at home. I was a guest there, but here I feel at home.”

Dave was speechless. He still couldn’t believe that she’d so readily give up everything to stay with them, but he supposed that she knew what she wanted. Lottie was, after all, a very mature young woman, and who was he to make that kind of decision for her? 

“Sorry, that was a bit much. I didn’t mean to overwhelm you,” she said, sitting back.

“It’s all right, Lottie. You’re just very different from all the other young people I know. Or who I think I know,” he said. “I’d be happy to have you round the house for as long as you like.”

“So, what’s this about including the Prestons’ house? Do you want to break through the walls?”

He nodded. He fetched the plans to brainstorm some ideas with her so he would run them past Rose when they had time to do so. Which was most likely going to be after the wedding.

He’d dropped off Rose at The Priory on the way back from The Trossachs. Neither of them had liked the idea of going straight back to work after their getaway, but they were well aware of the way it worked.

After Lottie, too, had gone to bed, he fished his phone out of his pocket and checked his messages. There were none from Rose, so with a sigh he settled back on the sofa and picked up the battered copy of _The Physician_ he’d found among Rita’s things. It had been a favourite of hers, and the copy in question had been on her bedside table more often than not. He’d read it only once and he remembered liking it, but he wanted to see what the charm was.

Soon, he had lost himself in the mediaeval world the barber surgeon's life on the road, and he realised suddenly, why Rita loved it so much. The protagonist was an orphan, just like her, and he had to fend for himself. He achieved a great many things by going to great lengths, trusting no one.

Dropping the book onto his chest, he stared at the corniced ceiling. _What a lonely life_ , he thought. Had Rita ever found happiness, he wondered, even after they’d gotten together? She’d certainly kept secrets from him, most notably who Lucy’s father was.

He was sure he’d get answers if he read more of her diaries, but he didn’t like the idea at all. She’d been an independent spirit, and he wanted to honour her wishes even now. Besides, as much as he loved her, he was about to start a new chapter in his life with Rose, and she deserved all his attention.

His phone vibrating and playing Rose’s tune brought him back to reality. In the stillness of the house the sound seemed impossibly loud, and it even made him jump. Fumbling for the phone he sat up and the book fell to the ground with a thud. “Rose,” he said, delighted. His smile faded when he checked his watch, however. She only ever called this late when there was an emergency.


	15. Fifteen

Part Three

 _You know my call, and will share my all  
And our children come and they will hear me roar_  
— Mumford & Sons, _Ghosts That We Knew_

Fifteen

Rose’s heart broke when she saw Dave holding Lucy. His daughter was sobbing again, but this time she was beyond consolable. Rose ducked her head to study the tips of her shoes. She ought to leave to give them some space, but she found herself unable to move. As always, she felt responsible for their predicament, and since she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was partly her fault, the least she could do was stay. 

Fighting her own tears, she set her jaw and decided that no one could touch her. She was, from now on, Rose Tyler, director of Torchwood Glasgow. If she didn’t detach herself she knew she’d crumble and not be able to do anything. She was well aware that she was going to hurt Dave and the children in the process; she wasn’t sure if they’d understand her need to be detached. Well, she sighed inwardly, if they didn’t then it might be for the better. This was a test, and it would show if their relationship could bear the strain. The idea that they might fail took her breath away and she left after all.

Mickey frowned when she joined him. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I am right where I belong, Micks,” she said, explaining her decision.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded.

Mickey sighed but to her surprise he didn’t try to talk her out of it.

“Well?”

“Well what?” he asked.

“Aren’t you going to talk me out of it?”

“Would I succeed?”

Rose smiled feebly.

“See?” Mickey stood and closed the distance between them to hug her. “Poor love.”

“It’s so hard, Mickey,” she said, her voice muffled by his wool-covered shoulder.

He kissed her temple. “I know, love.”

Rose held on to him for a few beats before she pulled away, steeling herself. “Well, is there any news?”

Mickey stepped away, surprised, as always, at her ability to compartmentalise. It was a skill she’d learned from the Doctor. He’d never stop to look back, and she’d never allow her private life and her professional one to mix. Strictly speaking, Lily was business. But she was also her friend’s girlfriend. _So much for keeping her distance._ “I’m about to do something very stupid, aren’t I?”

“It’s not like I can stop you,” Mickey said.

“Are you even trying?”

“Rose.”

“I’m so lost, Mickey. What am I supposed to do?”

“What your heart tells you, Rose. So far, it’s always been right,” he said, pulling her into his arms again.

“I’m so scared of losing Dave and the children,” she mumbled into his shoulder. His familiar smell transported her back to the days when they’d been a couple, and sometimes she wished she could return to those carefree days. True, she’d only been a shopgirl with no prospects, but at least life had been simple. 

And boring.

“You’ll do the right thing, Rose. I’m sure of it.”

“But will it make me happy?” she muttered.

Mickey sighed. “I don’t know. It may be a while before you know for sure.”

They sat in silence for a few moments. Then it clicked. “Wait. You’re not thinking about ending things with Dave, are you?”

Rose looked at him with an expression of defiance. “It might be the right thing to do in the long run.”

“Are you… Have you completely lost your mind?”

“It might actually be quite sensible. Look at what’s happened to them since I crashed into their life: Paul nearly died and Dave was snatched Over There. And now this poor wee girl is… well. Whatever it is she is. The point is, Lucy’s suffering. Badly.”

Mickey looked at her aghast for a few beats before he looked away, laughing. Rose wondered what was so funny when he said, “You’re such a stupid cow, Rose, you know that?”

She did a double take. It had been quite a while since Mickey had used this kind of language with her.

“It’s thanks to you, well, us, really, that Paul’s alive and they have Dave back. For all we know, without you they might be short one child _and_ orphaned,” he said.

Rose was about to protest when he continued, “Besides, I’m sure we’ll figure out what’s wrong with Lily and make her better.”

She wondered where he got his confidence. Part of her had to admit, grudgingly, that he had a point. Without their help, Paul would be dead and Dave would be trapped Over There. And the Doctor would be trapped here. The Doctor and his daughter, Jenny. She could see that he’d changed a lot, and she wondered if he was fundamentally different enough that she didn’t recognize, or even love, him any more. Besides, what kind of a man would he be without the ability to travel? Would he even want her now that he wasn’t the last one any more?

Rose heaved a sigh. “I have no idea what’s wrong with Lily.”

Mickey huffed and stood to refill her mug with coffee. “But you have a theory.”

Rose ducked her head, smiling. He knew her so well it was infuriating sometimes. “I’m not even sure it makes sense, because there are so many differences.”

“I’m listening,” he said, leaning forward with his elbows on the table.

She told him about the Isolus.

He leaned back in his chair. “I see what you mean. This isn’t about drawing. There’s no creative outlet for Lily.”

Rose perked up at that. “Exactly. What if, assuming that… well, the Isolus needs a creative outlet? Lily is a creative person. She plays the cello.”

“Which was wrecked in the accident,” he pointed out. “Can you even compose music on the cello? God, sometimes I hate being so uneducated.”

“You’re not poorly educated, Micks. You’re just… musically challenged.”

They laughed.

“Seriously, though? What if the inability to let out her creativity is choking her up and causing… this?” He gestured in the general direction of the infirmary, where Lily was confined to a padded cell. They did have one at the Priory. Events in Torchwood’s past had required restraining people, and Pete had insisted that the Glasgow have one too. Just in case.

Rose closed her eyes trying to dispel the image, to no avail. The poor girl lay sedated, dressed in her jimjams and curled up in the padded cell. “She’s not mad!” Lucy had screeched in protest when she saw her girlfriend like that through the small window in the padded door. “That’s not my Lily! It’s not her!”

Lucy was right. The girl in the padded cell wasn’t Lily, but no one at Torchwood had an idea of what had changed her.

“Rose?” Mickey prompted her.

“Assuming it’s the Isolus,” she said, banishing the image as soon as she opened her eyes. “Just… assuming.”

Mickey nodded for her to go on.

“She has no form of a creative outlet. Which would explain her current state. But I'm puzzled by two things. First, when she came here she had nary a scratch although a building collapsed on top of her. A burning building. She should have been severely injured,” Rose said.

Again, he agreed. “And I suppose that healing powers were not on the list when you first met the Isolus?”

Rose smiled. Trust him to draw the right conclusions.

“Second, this Isolus apparently is satisfied with just one… companion. The one I encountered snatched the entire audience from the Olympic Stadium,” she said. “The poor thing was so lonely. Little wonder if you’re used to millions of siblings and then you’re trapped with only one lonely girl.”

“Changes your perspective a bit, eh?” Mickey said. “Still, being the only one…”

“Yeah.”

They both knew the Doctor, and what being the last of his kind had done to him.

Mickey finished his coffee and Rose sipped at hers before it was past a enjoyable temperature.

“What if protecting Lily, the host, took priority over company? What if company will only become important once it's sure Lily is safe?” Mickey asked.

Rose sat up straight. She hadn’t looked at it from that angle, but it made sense. “But what about her creative outlet?”

He blinked. “Same thing. Priorities.”

Rose thought. Theoretically, keeping Lily away from any instrument might spare people from becoming sheet music. But even if that happened, they would, if everything went the way it did with Chloe Webber, eventually be set free. “Makes sense.”

“So what do we do?” Mickey asked.

“I don’t know.”

Mickey stared at her. “Well, what did the Doctor do?”

“He forged a kind of mind-meld with Chloe and talked to the Isolus itself,” Rose said.

Mickey grinned.

“What?” Rose frowned.

“I think it’s time for Super Wolf.”

Rose snorted. Super Wolf was Mickey’s way of referring to Bad Wolf. Rose hated the idea of her being _super_ -anyone, and, given Dave’s fear of her, she was very careful with her ability to read minds. No matter how much telepathy enhanced their love-making, it was also a violation of privacy. In this case it had the potential to be an even greater violation. Lily was possessed, and had no ability to say no.

“Not that she had a chance where the Isolus is concerned,” Mickey commented once Rose had shared her concerns.

“True.”

“So the Isolus possessed Chloe because it was lost and lonely?”

Rose nodded.

“Can’t really fault it for that, can you.”

“I suppose not. But I draw the line when others are hurt in the process,” Rose said.

Mickey gave her a poignant look. “See? You and the Isolus aren’t that different.”

Rose glared at him. She wasn’t lonely. She sought closeness but was ready to give it up to protect the people in question and herself. She was about to open her mouth to protest when she understood, under Mickey’s continued gaze, that she and the Isolus were similar because they came from different angles. But their motivation, the need to help, was the same.

“Even if we set it free there’s no guarantee we could help it. I have no idea if there’s such a thing as Isolus in this universe. For all we know it might die because we cannot reunite it with its siblings,” Rose said.

“It has survived without them so far. Don’t you think… Hang on. Lily is in love with Lucy, isn’t she? And vice versa?”

Frowning, Rose agreed. She had no idea what he was getting at.

“Well, maybe their love is enough for the Isolus.”

“They seem a bit young for such a powerful bond,” Rose said. But Mickey was right. Just because they were young didn’t automatically disqualify them from finding true love. “So are you suggesting that we don’t set the Isolus free? But Lily can’t stay like this.”

“No. What she needs is a cello. Or a piano, if she plays that.”

The cello was damaged beyond repair. “Dave has a piano. No one’s allowed to play it, though, except Ewan and Lottie.”

“Well then, it’s worth a try, don’t you think? Once you’ve explained things to the Isolus.”

-:-

Lucy stared at her as if she were out of her mind. “You want to _talk_ to that thing?”

“It saved Lily’s life, Lucy. It needed a host, but once her life was in danger the Isolus decided to return the favour,” Rose explained. They were seated on the sofas in the guest flat at the Priory. It was the small hours of the night, and Rose nearly hadn’t woken them but Lucy saw her hovering.

“But how did it do that?” Lucy asked, uncomprehending.

“We don’t know, but it’s something we can find out once I talk to it,” Rose reassured her.

“And our love is what keeps it alive?”

“Not love in particular,” Rose said. It did sound a bit silly, like something out of the Potter books. “The power of emotion. You love each other, but I think that her grief and the feeling of being uprooted contribute to it.”

“And she was fine as long as she had her cello,” Dave concluded. He frowned. “Of course. She never went to Hillingdon Drive after the accident. She could have played Rita’s piano.”

“Not such a good idea after all, staying at mine to help her recover in familiar surroundings,” Rose said. 

“Hey,” Dave said, reaching for her hand. “You did what you thought was best.”

“You know what they say about the best of intentions.”

“Rose,” he said sharply. Did he suspect something? “Don’t do this. Don’t beat yourself up.”

“How are you going to talk to the thing?” Lucy asked, trying to get the conversation back on track. “I mean, it’s not that it could answer, and we don’t even know if it’s listening.”

Dave and Rose exchanged glances.

“I’ll communicate with it telepathically,” Rose said.

Lucy stared at her.

“Lucy?”

She gathered her composure. “You read minds?” 

“Yes, but only if the person gives me permission to do so. It’s very exhausting for me, so don’t worry. I’ll never read your mind unless you want me to,” Rose said, trying to be as clear as possible. She didn’t want to scare Lucy.

“How? I mean… Why are you a telepath? Is it because… you’re from Over There?”

Rose smiled. “No, love. It’s because I saved the Doctor’s life once. It was a gift he, or rather his ship, gave me. It also made me fluent in a lot of different languages.”

Lucy looked helplessly from her to her father. “Dad?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Lily can’t make a decision. Lily can’t give Rose permission,” she said.

“You’re the person she trusts most,” he said. “Will you give Rose the permission to help Lily?”

“Has she been in your mind?” Lucy asked.

Dave and Rose exchanged glances. Her telepathy was still an issue between them, and so far they’d only used it when they’d made love and on a few occasions to reassure each other. But they’d never had an entire conversation. “Aye, sweetheart. If there’s something you don’t want her to see you imagine a room for the thought and close the door on her,” he said, looking at Rose.

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

Lucy chewed her bottom lip. “Can I try first?”

“Sure.”

“What do I do?”

“Just lie back and relax. I’ll need to hold your hand; it’ll make it easier,” Rose said.

Lucy took another moment to make up her mind but then she lay back on the cushions and held out her hand for Rose. Rose took it and shifted from her sofa to the one Dave and Lucy were occupying to sit beside her. “Just relax and remember what Dave told you about doors, yeah? I promise you’ll be safe.”

Lucy bit her lip and nodded.

Dave kissed her temple and retreated a little to give them space. His movement alerted Lucy, and for a moment Rose thought she’d tell her to stop. Dave smiled encouragingly at her and brushed a lock of hair off of her forehead. Lucy turned to Rose again and nodded for her to go ahead.

Rose held Lucy’s hand tightly, returning the girl’s strong grip and touched her mind, just like the Doctor had taught her. It was surprisingly easy, despite the long time since she had used this particular trick.

_Hello, Lucy._

Lucy’s eyes flew open wide, throwing her as her concentration broke. Lucy’s mind had been a confused jumble of thoughts anyway, which would have made it difficult for them to have a conversation anyway.

Dave looked at them in concern, and Rose could tell that he was about to call the whole thing off. After all, he was in charge of Lucy.

“Relax, love,” Rose said, to both of them. “Shall we try again?”

Lucy closed her eyes again and relaxed visibly.

This time, her thoughts were a lot more coherent.

_Hello again._

_Your voice sounds the same,_ came Lucy’s startled reply.

_Yeah, it’s a trick of the mind to help us cope. Now, how do you feel about this?_

_Good, I suppose. It’s a bit weird to have you in my mind._

_But not unpleasant?_

After a moment of hesitation, she said _No._

_Good. So this is what I’ll do with the Isolus. You can join me and Lily if you want, to hold her hand. Would you like that?_

_Aye._

_Good. I’m going to leave now, don’t feel… abandoned, yeah?_

Rose withdrew as gently from her thoughts as she’d entered them, but still Lucy gasped at the loss of contact. Dave sat up, alarmed, but when he saw his daughter smile at him, he slumped a little. “It’s wonderful, Dad.”

Dave was so stunned he could merely nod.

“Please don’t tell the wee ones. I’m not sure they’ll understand.”

“Promise.”

“Does Lily play the piano by any chance?” Rose asked.

“Aye, but she’s better at the cello. She learned how to play from her dad. The piano, I mean. Why’s that important?”

Rose explained the need for a creative outlet, and Lucy bit her lip when she heard that.

“So you mean that without the Isolus Lily wouldn’t be as good at the cello as she is?”

“No. I mean that she needs to play more and probably compose more with the Isolus than without it. Has she ever written a song?” Rose asked.

Lucy blushed. “Aye. But the songs are private.”

“We’re not prying, love,” Dave said, draping his arm around her. “The more Rose knows about Lily the better she and the gang will be able to help her.”

“Ah, all right.”

“So, shall we then? Are you ready?”

Lucy took a deep breath. “I suppose so.”


	16. Sixteen

Sixteen

“What about getting Lily a cello or a piano, at least?” Dave suggested just as they were about to leave the suite. “To allow her to compose herself? Pun intended.”

Rose smiled at him. “I’d thought of that. But it’s the middle of the night.”

“Oh.” He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“We could sing,” Lucy offered. “She does have a nice voice. Do you think that might help?” She looked searchingly from Rose to Dave and back again.

“It’s worth a try, but don’t count on me,” Dave said. “I’m rubbish at singing.”

“No, you’re not. You’re just being modest,” Lucy insisted.

Dave sighed.

Rose raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t know you could sing.”

“I can’t,” he said. “Can’t Mickey organise something?”

“I’ll talk to him. You go ahead.”

Lucy took his hand. “Aye. Dad, I want you there with us. Please?” she asked, squeezing his fingers.

He nodded and held out his hand for Rose. They went down to the infirmary in the lift and didn’t expect it to stop on its descent, not so late at night.

Dominic joined them. He looked as if he’d fallen out of bed; his dark locks were more ruffled than usual, and he’d certainly not taken the time to shave. He also hadn’t dressed as carefully as he was wont to. 

Lucy tensed and stood closer to Dave at the sight of him. What her surprise at seeing him kept her from noticing was the long, flat case Dominic was carrying.

“Mornin’,” Dominic groaned.

“Good morning,” Rose said, startled. She wasn’t aware of an emergency. “Has something happened?”

“Mickey called me,” Dominic said. “Lured me in with the promise of great coffee for a month if I brought him this.” He patted the black case lovingly. Rose recognised it as an instrument case. Her eyes widened. She could tell from the shape that it couldn’t hold a cello, but it certainly could hold a keyboard of some kind.

“Is this what I think it is?” she asked.

“It’s a bit early for these games, Rose,” Dominic said.

“Is it a keyboard?” Lucy asked in her stead.

“How did you know?”

“I’m a musician,” Lucy explained. “So Mickey called you to come in with a keyboard?”

“How did you get one this time of night?” Dave asked, clearly overwhelmed by surprise. He must think that Torchwood could get anything they wanted, whenever they wanted.

“I put it into its case and brought it here,” Dominic said, frowning a little. Apparently, he assumed that they knew he had a keyboard. Rose made a mental note to talk to him about it later.

The lift doors dinged open and they filed out, Dave helping the doctor with the bulky case. Mickey met them in the hall with a tray, balancing a cafetière, mugs and the usual coffee-drinking paraphernalia. He grinned at them. “Thought this might help. Cheers, mate!”

“Is this for me?” Dominic asked, greedily curling his fingers at the coffee.

“Yup, almost all yours. I suppose that Rose, at least, will need some of it too.”

“Sure,” Dominic said. “By the way, what are you going to do with the Isolus once you’ve talked to it? Now that it has such a great host I can’t imagine it’s very willing to… relocate.”

Rose looked away briefly. She hadn’t thought about that yet, and she told them so. “There’s no danger to Lily as long as she has a creative outlet, which we’re about to give her. For now I’d just like to talk to the Isolus.”

Lucy’s face fell.

Dave draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “The most important thing is that Lily feels better soon, aye? And that you do too, of course. You heard Rose. The Isolus shouldn’t be dangerous.”

“Shouldn’t?” she echoed in alarm.

Dave closed his eyes.

“Isn’t,” Rose said. “I’m sure that the two enjoy a kind of symbiosis at the moment.”

Lucy wasn't entirely convinced by this, but there was nothing Rose could do about it at the moment. “Well, I’ll go and talk to it now. Do you two still want to come?”

“I just want to hold her hand,” Lucy said, looking at her father. “I’d like… to go on my own, if that’s all right?”

“Sure,” Dave said. “I’ll be in the break room with Mickey and Dominic.”

“And me,” Donna said, startling them all. She looked tired and pale. “What, you didn’t seriously think I’d leave Lily alone?”

“Coffee, Donna?” Dominic asked, gesturing like a waiter for a patron to inspect the selection du jour.

She sighed. “Love to. Will you be all right?” she asked Rose and Lucy.

“Yeah, been there, done that,” Rose said, holding out her arm for Lucy. The girl let go of her father and took it, raising her chin in determination.

They went to the padded cell and Rose keyed in the security code that unlocked the door. Visiting a prisoner must be quite a similar experience, and to be honest, Lily was a prisoner for the time being. It was unclear what the Isolus would do to her, and Rose wanted to be on the safe side after she’d seen what the other Isolus had done to poor Chloe. This was all to keep Lily, and themselves, safe.

Lucy swallowed and pursed her lips as she watched her open the door, robbing Rose of any illusion that Lucy agreed with Lily’s current accommodations. Rose told Lucy to take off her shoes so they’d be more comfortable.

“Lily, love?” Rose said softly, stepping into the cell. The floor gave way beneath her feet. It was softer than the thickest carpet she'd ever seen, and it would make quick reactions difficult because it was so hard to balance on.

Lucy squeezed past her and knelt beside her girlfriend, touching her shoulder tentatively. “Lily,” she whispered, moving her hand from her shoulder to her hair. Lily’s plait was dishevelled, and Lucy tried, with soothing strokes, to smooth it down a little. “Lily, my love, it’s Rose and me. We know what’s wrong with you.”

It took Lily a while to react to Lucy, but eventually, she relaxed, uncurling a little. “Lucy?”

Lucy smiled. “Hello, love. How are you?”

“Drowsy. They gave me something,” Lily said. Rose ducked her head. Sedating the girl had been bad enough in the first place, but that she was aware of it and told Lucy so made it sound like a crime. Which it was, in a way, but what else could they do? Lily had been irate and beside herself at her inability to perform. She must have looked like a raving madwoman to any onlookers. “It’s like… Da’s cotton wool. Soft, and,” she slurred, looking for words.

“I’m sorry, Lily. We didn’t mean to make you feel bad. Rose has an idea of what might be wrong with you. Will you let her talk to you? She wants to help,” Lucy said, drawing strength from her hope that Rose was right.

 _No pressure then,_ Rose thought.

Lily stretched a little and sat up to look at Rose. Her gaze was assessing, and for a few moments Rose feared that she might hold a grudge and not let her near her, but then Lily smiled. It was a minuscule smile, but it was there. “Aye, why not?”

Rose shifted closer to her on her knees.

“What’s wrong with me, Rose?” Lily asked.

Rose quickly explained her theory. “I want to try something now, to see if I’m right. If you’ll let me.”

“You aren’t sure?” Lily asked.

“No, but I’m pretty confident that I’m right, given what we know about your condition. Do you understand me?” Rose asked.

Lily looked from her to Lucy and back. Her head lolled like a drunk’s as she rested it against the padding of the wall. “Aye.”

“Lily, Dominic has a keyboard for you. Would you like to play a little first? It might help you focus and relax a little?” Lucy asked.

Rose mentally slapped her forehead. “I’ll go and get it.” She stood quickly, feeling a little faint from the movement. Her blood sugar levels were low. She desperately needed some coffee and sweets in her before she tried to establish a link with Lily.

She left the two girls alone, the door wide open, and after she’d brought Lily the keyboard retreated to the break room for some coffee.

“How’d it go?” Dominic asked.

Rose shrugged. “I haven’t tried yet. Lucy reminded me of the keyboard, and —“

She stopped talking when music began to fill the quiet of the infirmary. The tune was beautiful, but hauntingly sad. Sad didn't begin to describe it. Rose was filled with a kind of grief she knew all too well; the grief of loss. It wasn’t only the loss of a person. It was the loss of life, of home. It was music that could only be written by someone who could never go home again.

“Rose? My love, you’re crying,” Dave said in alarm, reaching out to brush the tears off her face. He looked worried, and sad too. Rose recognised the grief in him; after all, he’d crossed the Void, too, but he’d been lucky enough to be able to make the return trip.

“It’s… it’s this song. It’s so… beautiful,” Rose said.

“That it is,” Dominic agreed, and Donna nodded, but it was clear that the music didn’t touch them as profoundly as it did Rose.

“Sounds as if your theory is sound,” Dominic chuckled, but sobered quickly when she sent him a thunderous glare. “Not funny, sorry. But… it does sound as if you’re right.”

“Yeah,” Rose said, relaxing. “Sorry, I —”

“Do you think you’ll be able to _talk_ to her?” Dave asked.

“I think so,” rose said, wiping the rest of her tears away.

However, none of them moved for as long as the music filled the infirmary. Towards the end of the song Lucy joined them. “Are you coming?” she asked Rose.

“Yeah.”

On their way to the cell Lucy asked about her puffy eyes. “It reminds me of the Doctor,” Rose said. “The music. Of the Doctor and life Over There.”

“Oh,” was all Lucy said.

Lily smiled invitingly at Rose, looking more relaxed and herself now than she had earlier. “Thank you,” she said when she helped Lucy get the keyboard out of their way.

Rose sat with her back against the wall and motioned for Lily to sit between her legs and lean back into her. This way Rose could hold her comfortably while making sure that they had as much physical connection as possible.

Lily was game, resting her head against Rose's shoulder and turning her face a little towards her neck. She was heavy against Rose, a sign of how relaxed she was.

“Are you ready?” Rose asked. “Remember what I told you about doors, yeah?”

“Aye. What do I do if it gets too much?”

“Just tell me firmly to stop, and I will,” Rose said.

“And it doesn’t hurt?” Lily looked to Lucy for reassurance. Rose was glad now that Lucy had asked to try the elepathy out fist.

“Absolutely not,” Lucy confirmed. “Just relax, aye?”

Lily nodded. “Do I close my eyes?”

Rose laughed softly. “They’ll close of their own accord, but you can close them now if you want. Lucy is going to hold your hand, all right?”

Finally, they were ready to get started. Rose cupped Lily’s temple with her palm and flattened her right hand against the top of Lily’s chest. She waited for their breathing to fall into sync before she said, in her thoughts, _Hello, Lily._

 _Hello, Rose._ Lily’s mind flared up brightly with the sparks of her smile. Rose paused for a beat; she’d never experienced this before, and she’d wondered if she ever would. The Doctor had told her that she might see people’s outward reactions in the neuronal fires of their minds if she was really good.

_Are you comfy, love?_

Lily’s sparkles settled, raining down on them like fireworks, but Rose was engulfed in a warm feeling of safety.

Encouraged, Rose pressed gently on, _Hello, Isolus?_

At first, there was no reply, but the longer Rose was in Lily’s mind the more certain she was that there was someone in this mind besides her who shouldn’t be there. _You know us?_ the Isolus said eventually.

 _Yes. I met one of you in the future_ , Rose said.

 _Oh? But I am the only one here,_ the Isolus replied.

_There are no Isolus in this universe?_

_Explain?_

Rose explained, and the more she did, the more powerful the wave of sadness from the Isolus became. She was aware of its growing sadness, and she grew tense.

_So I can’t join my brothers and sisters?_

_I’m afraid not._

_Are you sure there are none of my kind here? We don’t usually come close to planets,_ the Isolus said.

 _We don’t know how to search for them,_ she admitted. 

_I do,_ the Isolus cried, suddenly inspired. _Lily is a nice ship. I’ll be sorry to leave her. Do you have my ship proper? The pod?_

 _I’m afraid not,_ Rose said. _Is this why you kept Lily safe? She was hurt in the bombing that night, wasn’t she?_

_She kept my pod safe, so it was the least I could do._

_But I still have your pod,_ Lily chimed in.

Rose and the Isolus had been so wrapped up in their conversation that they’d forgotten there was a third party in their conversation.

 _Really, you do? You never think of it!_ the Isolus gasped.

_I haven’t until you mentioned it. I’d… totally forgotten about it._

_I suppose you locked it up in a room with the other painful memories of that experience. To protect yourself,_ Rose explained.

_Aye, I think so._

_Well, where is it?_ the Isolus asked.

_Doesn’t it need warmth, heat even? Rose asked._

_We can repair it,_ the Isolus said with a dismissive explosion of sparks.

-:-

Rose slept in late the next day. When she woke in her own bedroom she assumed that Dave or one of the boys must have taken her home. Probably Mickey. Dominic wouldn’t take off her clothes and leave her underwear; that was a privilege only Mickey enjoyed.

The light in her bedroom was dimmed by the shades, but she closed her eyes again against the brightness. If she didn’t know better she’d say this was the sort of hangover she’d only get after a night of partying. But those days were long over, and she hadn’t had any alcohol. As far as she could recall.

Groaning, she stood. She was nauseous and if she had to throw up she didn’t want to mess up the sheets. The plan was to make it to the bathroom, throw up, feel better and go back to sleep.

She couldn’t throw up. She felt nauseous, but there was nothing in her stomach, and she didn’t even need to retch. She was just… dizzy. She cupped her hand under the tap to drink. When she straightened, she felt less dizzy and was able to focus on the person facing her.

“It’s the telepathy,” she murmured, following sudden inspiration. And then the events of the past night came tumbling down on her like hastily stacked boxes in an overstuffed storage cupboard. She’d never been hung over after using telepathy before. But then again, she’d never had such an intense experience before. The Doctor had told her that the more intense connections might elude her because inexperienced telepaths are rarely able to form a strong enough bond.

He’d mentioned something that would remedy the hangover.

Chocolate. The higher the part of genuine cocoa, the better.

Rose padded down to the kitchen in search of the the free promotional bar she’d gotten at the supermarket. She didn’t like the really dark chocolate, but if it helped she’d suffer through it.

Eating the chocolate and trying to ignore the taste, she put on the kettle. No matter what her body needed, her soul needed a nice cuppa.

She took the mug to the lounge and curled up on the sofa, enjoying her tea as she wrapped herself up against the chill in a warm blanket.

Her phone rang.

_Oh no._

By the time she found it, it had gone to voicemail.

Rose? Rose, it’s Paul. You’ve got to come! It’s Dad. He’s looked himself in his bedroom and he’s… he’s crying, Rose. We don’t know what to do. Please come quickly.

Her heart was pounding as she speed-dialled Paul’s phone.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? What happened?”

Paul was close to tears himself. “We don’t know. It’s…”

“Is Lottie there? Pass me the phone to her, sweetheart,” she said.

“Rose!” Lottie cried in relief. “It’s terrible. Anna was here and she gave Dave some news. I don’t know what she told him, but he asked me to look after the children. He’s been in his room ever since.”

“Is he crying, Lottie?” Rose asked. She was dizzy again.

“Ja, I think so. But it’s quiet now, so he must have stopped. I called Sarah too. Is that all right?”

“Perfect,” Rose said. “She might be there sooner than I. It’ll take me half an hour or so to get to you.”

“Thank you, Rose,” Lottie said.

Rose took one last sip of her tea, then she hurried upstairs for a shower. When she grabbed her keys and handbag she no longer felt hungover. Which was good, because she needed to drive over to Dave’s, provided, of course, her rental car was in the drive. Her face fell when she didn’t see it there. It must still be at the Priory.

Luckily, a taxi was dropping off the nice old gentleman a few doors down, and she was quick enough to catch it, and even luckier that it wasn’t otherwise engaged already.

She arrived at Hillingdon Drive just over the promised half hour. Sarah was there already, but the children and Lottie were nowhere to be seen. Dave’s friend was sitting on the floor, leaning against the closed, and locked, door when Rose arrived.

“Thank goodness, Rose,” Sarah said, her eyes brightening up a little when she saw her.

“What happened?”

“I have no idea.”

There was a thump from inside, and a few tentative sobs. They were followed by a cry of rage and more sobbing.


	17. Missing Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A missing scene for ladyprydian, who wanted to see Beattie's reaction to Anna's news.

Beattie had just prepared her mise, setting out all the ingredients she needed to make the kali daal. This recipe was a lucky find. Browsing Alan Harper’s antiquarian bookshop that morning, she’d picked up the hefty volume of Indian cuisine. It had sat on the shelf for a long time without anyone ever pulling it out to explore its thick pages that rustled open like parchment. Alan had been embarrassed to see the state of the book and had spirited it away to the back room where he’d given it a gentle clean before wrapping it up for her.

Now it sat open on her counter, the darkened pages divulging their secrets reluctantly; the print was small, and Beattie hated putting on her glasses while cooking. But she’d been looking for the perfect recipe for kali daal for such a long time that she was ready to put up with this kind of inconvenience. So she had made the ginger and garlic paste and, in a mortar and pestle, had ground the spices she needed for her home-made garam masala. Who knew, maybe this was the perfect mix of spices that would make this the recipe she’d sought for so long. The only concession she made in this case was the lentils. Eager to find out if this was it, she’d opened a tin of cooked lentils, drained and rinsed them in a sieve before bringing them to a boil in a bed of fresh water.

At first she tried to ignore the ringing phone, but the caller was persistent. So she turned on the stove anyway; the lentils needed heating before she could add the ginger and garlic. By that time, she hoped, she’d have dealt with the call.

“Beattie?” The voice on the other end of the connection sounded upset, if not exactly panicked. She didn’t recognise it at once. “Beattie, it’s Lottie.”

“Oh, hello, dear. What’s the matter?” she asked. If this was about the bairns — and why else would Lottie call her? — everything else became unimportant. She hurried back to the stove to turn off the gas.

“I don’t really know, to be honest. Anna was here, and she said something to Dave that upset him so badly that he’s locked himself up in his room. I think he’s crying.” Lottie’s words tumbled out of her.

“Crying?” Beattie repeated, looking at her reflection in the kitchen window. She could understand why Dave would cry; Rita had mentioned it occasionally to her, and how hard she found it to deal with his tears. Particularly when she was responsible for them, but even if it wasn’t her fault. Dave must be the most emotional man she’d ever met, but it endeared him to her. “Why’s that, dearie?”

“Anna told him something. I don’t know what. He sent her away and stormed off into his room. I’m scared, Beattie. He sounds like… like…”

Beattie took a deep breath and made a calming gesture with her hand. What Dave needed was some peace and calm. “Look, Lottie. Do you drive?”

“ _Ja._ ”

“Right. Bundle the bairns into the car with their overnight bags and come over to mine. I’ll give you the address for the SatNav.”

“But it’s a school night,” Lottie protested.

“So it is. But I know my family. It’s really best if you bring them over and ring Sarah and Rose to help him deal with this,” she said. “We’ll distract the bairns.”

There was a longish pause that was filled with nary a background sound. If the children were this quiet, things were bad. She wondered what Anna had told Dave to upset him so. There was no doubt that it was something horrible, but sometimes she failed to think like her daughter. It was as if she didn’t know her at all. She did have, however, a strong feeling that this had something to do with Rose and Rita.

“Okay, Beattie, I’ll do that,” Lottie eventually said.

“Excellent. Bring your sleeping bags if you can, yes? There’s a Sainsbury’s on your way over. Pop in and bring three large tins of lentils and some naan. And ice cream. I’m cooking Indian tonight,” Beattie said.

“I’m sorry if I upset your plans for tonight. Are you sure it’s all right for us to come?”

“Don’t be silly, dear. I’m trying a new recipe. Oh the excitement. The more palates to taste the better. You do like Indian?”

“Love it,” Lottie said, sounding a bit more chipper already.

“Lottie? You did the right thing when you called me. Always do that, aye? Drive safely.”

-:-

The bairns were shaken by their father’s outburst but seemed to be recovering thanks to the idea of staying the night at their gran’s. Dinner was a surprisingly quiet affair. The kali daal was a complete success and the closest to the best she’d ever had all those years ago in an Indian restaurant in London. Of course, they advertised it as a treasured family recipe that was also secret. She couldn’t blame them. 

Unable to voice her concerns, Evie was in a particularly cuddly mood. Ewan was his usual sullen self, and Paul was even more thoughtful than normal. They played with the admittedly unexciting-looking lentils; it looked a bit like a chocolatey porridge, but the taste was close to perfect.

“Dad didn’t cry when Mum died. Not like this,” Paul said eventually, dropping his spoon and leaning back in his chair.

“Not when he thought we could hear him,” Ewan agreed.

Evie looked from the boys to her. “Is it about Rose?”

“I’m sure Rose is fine,” Beattie said, still digesting the idea that Dave had tried to mourn Rita in private but failed at it. Hearing that broke her heart.

“He let us cuddle him when he cried,” Evie said, putting her spoon down thoughtfully.

“Aye, he did,” Ewan agreed.

“Och,” Beattie gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth. The idea of them comforting Dave was even more heartbreaking. She wondered if the children should have done that.

“I cried too,” Evie said. “And then I felt a lot better.”

“Aye,” Ewan said, brightening up a little. “Do you remember that one night when we all cuddled and slept in the big bed together?”

“You did?” Beattie asked.

Paul smiled. “We heard him crying, and we all went into his room to cuddle, and then we all cried. We felt better afterwards, Gran.”

Trust him to reassure her. What a burden he had to bear. But what else could she do but believe him? Dave was doing his very best, she knew that. Rose’s arrival hadn’t changed that. On the contrary. Since she was there, the children and Dave seemed to be a lot better, and as far as she knew they still talked about Rita. 

“I wish he’d let us into his room,” Evie sighed.

“He needs to be by himself for a while, dearie,” Beattie said. “He’s hurting a lot, just like when you first cut open your knee, aye?”

“Oh,” Evie said. “But he always kisses my cut knees better at once. And it helps.”

“This hurts a wee bit more than a cut knee, Evie,” Lottie said. “I’m sure that Dave will give you all lots of cuddles and kisses when he’s ready.”

“You reckon?” Ewan asked, looking from Lottie to Beattie.

“I’m sure,” Beattie said. “It’s just some silly thing we grown-ups do.”

They seemed to accept that lame explanation, and one after the other picked up their spoons to eat. Having the grown-ups’ reassurance had freed them to realise how hungry they were. The children enjoyed the food, and if some tongues had been burnt, they were soothed by the ice cream they had picked up on their way.

After she and Lottie had settled the children down in their beds — the boys staying in Anna’s old room, while Lottie and Evie shared Rita’s — she and Lottie sat down in the lounge with a glass of wine.

“Do you have any idea what the news was?” Beattie began.

“It must have something to do with Rita. I’m not really one to eavesdrop, besides, I had to keep the kids busy,” Lottie mused. “It must have been pretty bad, though. But I wonder what it could have been?”

“I’m not sure,” Beattie said, sipping her wine. “All I know is that Anna is very protective of Dave and the children, and of Rita, of course. The idea that Dave and Rose are getting married not even a year after Rita’s accident is inconceivable to her.”

“Is it to you?” Lottie asked.

Beattie sighed. “There’s no way of putting this right, is there? I’ll sound like a right cow, no matter what I say. Rita wasn’t an easy person. Living with her meant accepting a lot of secrets and compromise to not drive her away. I think it was even more difficult for Dave because… well, she never trusted him with her heart. Her love was unconditional only for her children.”

“Not even for you?”

Beattie studied her glass, tilting it this way and that to study how the wine would always maintain one level, even if it almost sloshed over the edge of the glass. “I wish I could say yes. It was, up to a degree. You see, we adopted Rita when she was wee, when it was clear that we couldn’t have any more babies of our own. Of course, we told her when she was old enough, but she refused to contact her birth parents. She said that if they hadn’t wanted her then, why would they want her now.”

“Isn’t it more complicated than that?” Lottie said.

Beattie smiled softly. “I’m sure it is. I never got in touch with the birth parents.”

“Wouldn’t it be interesting though?”

Beattie studied her. “It might be. But what would I tell them? Hello, I’m Rita’s Mum. She died in an accident? What good would it do?”

Lottie shrugged. “I imagine I’d always wonder about a child I’d given away, for whatever reason. They’d still be a part of me, wouldn’t they?”

She nodded thoughtfully. “Sometimes I feel I didn’t know her at all.”

They were silent for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Beattie was sure that Rita’s diaries, although they were coded, would grant them access to her thoughts to help them understand her better. Dave had managed to find Stuart using them, but he had been upset as well. Rita had been very clear in the pages that for a long time she hadn’t been sure about their relationship, and Dave had stopped reading and locked them away again for fear of finding in ink that she’d never really trusted him. Deep down, all of them knew, but some things were better left unspoken.

“I couldn’t imagine what that must be like. Being in a relationship with someone I don’t really trust.”

“She loved Dave in her own way,” Beattie said. There was no need, of course, to tell Lottie that Dave’s love for Rita had been unconditional, which was why he had put up with her in the first place. And most of the time things had worked out well. She’d urged Rita to include him in more of her decisions, like having Evie and starting teacher training, but she’d always been independent like that. For a while she’d been afraid that Dave would find out about Evie not being an accident. He loved all of his children, but she wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to have even more. After all, he already had a daughter from a previous marriage.

“I’ve been wondering why they never married.”

At first, she felt a touch indignant, but of course Lottie would have picked up on fact. After all, she lived with Dave and the children, and it wasn’t a secret. Beattie shook her head. “She was afraid of losing her independence if she did. It would have made a lot of things easier if they had. They’d been together for so long. Lucy was three when they met.”

“You’re thinking about the children. Lucy in particular,” Lottie said.

“Adopting Lucy never came up, or if it did, they never told me,” she said.

“Rose is brilliant with them.”

Beattie sighed. “Aye, that she is.”

She could see that Lottie was about to say something when the doorbell rang. They looked at each other. That was either Dave, having composed himself, or Anna. Beattie wasn’t sure which of the two she’d rather see right now.

It was Anna. When she breezed into the lounge and saw Lottie sitting there, she paused briefly. “What are you doing here?”

“I brought the bairns over.”

“It’s a school night.”

“So it is. But Dave needed some space so I reckoned giving it to him was a good idea,” Lottie said.

“There’s no need for you to justify your decision,” Beattie said, joining them with another wine glass.

“Why didn’t he run off to his little heiress instead of upsetting the kids’ routine?” Anna said, folding her arms in front of her chest.

“He was in no state to go anywhere,” Lottie said, lifting her chin. “He locked himself in his room and terrified us all. He was howling with anguish and tears, Anna. That’s why we’re here. Rose is there to pick up the mess.”

Beattie gestured for her daughter to sit, and she poured her some wine from the dewy bottle in the cooler on the table. “What did you tell Dave that upset him so?” she asked, sitting down.

“Does she need to be here?” Anna said, pointing dismissively at Lottie.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, she does. She deserves to know what you did to him. After all, she was there, and just as concerned. She’s part of the family now,” Beattie said. A quick glance at the girl told her that she felt flattered; her cheeks had gone pink and she stared at the contents of her wine glass.

“Seems to happen quite a lot in this family lately, doesn’t it? Picking up strays and giving them a home,” Anna sneered.

“Anna, neither Rose nor Lottie are strays. If you cannot talk to me civilly I’m afraid I do not have the time to talk to you,” Beattie admonished her. She hadn’t expected that technique to still work, but it did. Anna clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes were steely fire, but eventually she lifted her glass and drank.

“I have Rita’s autopsy report,” Anna said eventually.

Beattie and Lottie stared at her.

“I called in some favours. Don’t tell me you’ve never wondered why the judge upped the compensation like he did.”

Beattie looked at the photos on the end table next to Anna. It showed her and Rita during their days at uni, when they’d come home for the holidays. Such happy days, even though Rita had become even more reclusive and Anna had just gone through a painful break-up. Ever since then, she hadn’t been herself. A bitterness and cynicism had taken hold of her that made Beattie wonder sometimes if Anna was really her daughter. She’d never told her what had scarred her so much about that terrible relationship.

“I have,” Beattie said softly. At least, part of Rita’s behaviour had been predictable to some degree, and she feared that the autopsy report would confirm her suspicion. Rita had always wanted more children, and she’d gone and had Evie without telling Dave in advance.

“She was pregnant,” Anna said. “She was nine weeks pregnant with Dave’s baby when she was hit by that squad car.”

Beattie sucked in the air and rose, unable to contain her distress any longer. Likewise, Lottie gasped audibly.

“Do you want to read it? I’ve got it here,” Anna said.

“What on earth makes you think,” Beattie exploded, “that I’d want to read my daughter’s autopsy report? It was difficult enough seeing her laid out in the morgue like she was.”

There were a few moments of anguished silence.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Anna cried.

“I didn’t,” Beattie said. “Not until a few minutes ago when you told me that you’d read the autopsy report.”

“You told Dave, didn’t you?” Lottie said softly.

Anna whipped around to look at the dread-locked au-pair. “What’s it to you? He deserved to know. He _needed_ to know.”

“No, Anna, he didn’t,” Beattie said. “He’s finally beginning to get over Rita.”

“Exactly! He’s getting over her a little quickly, don’t you think?” Anna said. “Falling for that rich floozy like he is. It’s disgusting!”

Beattie clenched and unclenched her fists. “I will not tolerate that kind of language in my home, and you know that.”

Anna scoffed. “Yes, because telling the truth is not something we do in this house, is it.”

“I’ve always been honest with you, Anna, and I understand if you do not like Rose. But I will not tolerate you being so abusive toward her, particularly when she’s not here to defend herself.”

Anna guffawed. “But it was all right for Rita to have secrets, eh? And you don’t even care why the judge upped the compensation!”

“No, I don’t,” Beattie said, surprising herself with her calm voice. “Because all the king’s horses can’t bring back my daughter. And I don’t care how much money it is, as long as it provides for the bairns.” What had she done wrong in her up-bringing? One daughter had become secretive and withdrawn, despite her best efforts to be there for her and lend an open ear, and the other thought about nothing but material security. _How had both of them become so cold-hearted,_ she wondered.

Anna laughed. “And you don’t care about another grandchild that died along with her?”

Oh, that was low. Her calm was slowly starting to dissolve. “Sometimes I wonder if you know me at all, Anna. Of course I do. It’s terrible. But we weren’t supposed to know. And _we_ includes Dave, doesn’t it?”

“He deserves to know. He must know who it was he’s lost.”

“And you don’t think he knows that, every single day of his life?” Lottie chimed in. “You don’t know anything. They talk about Rita all the time, and how much they miss her. It’s like she’s with us sometimes.”

“Oh and you’d know because you’ve inveigled yourself with them!” Anna cried.

“Yes, to care for them and the household so their lives can go back to some semblance of normalcy,” Lottie said.

“I did that, you know? At the very beginning, it was I who took care of them,” Anna said.

“Yes, but they didn’t want you any more, did they?” Lottie said calmly. She took a deep breath and stood. “I’ll check on the bairns.”

“Yeah, just go!” Anna sneered.

“You have really overstepped the line this time, Anna,” Beattie said when they were alone. “Don’t you think that there might have been a reason Dave didn’t know about the baby?”

“He’s forgetting her, Mum. He’s going to marry Rose fucking Tyler not a year after Rita died, and he wasn’t even married to Rita after all these years,” Anna said, tears pooling in her eyes. At least Beattie knew her well enough to be sure that they were genuine.

She sighed. “We all miss Rita. But they’re moving on, and you heard what Lottie said. It can’t be easy for Rose to live with Rita’s ghost, and still she is helping to make all five of them happy despite everything.”

“You… you _like_ her?”

“As a matter of fact I do. I agree that it’s all a bit fast, but since when have we been able to choose when and with whom to fall in love? Rose is the right woman for Dave.” In many ways, she’s better for him than Rita ever could be because she isn’t taking advantage of him.

“You’re not afraid of losing them? Now that they’re going to have a new family?”

The thought had occurred to her, to be honest, but she’d never believed that that would be the case. She saw the bairns regularly, and her relationship with Dave hadn’t changed either. She’d always be the children’s grandmother. “No,” she said, sipping her wine. “Not one bit.”

Anna stared at the white wine.

“And you don’t have to be either unless you continue to behave the way you have been,” Beattie said gently.

“I’m scared of losing them,” Anna said. “And of them forgetting Rita.”

“They won’t forget their mum,” Beattie said. “Nor will they their aunt. The only thing that will happen is that you drive them away with your insecurity.”

Anna huffed but didn’t offer any protest.

Beattie leaned back and relaxed a bit. She’d have time to mourn her fifth grandchild later, and she’d have a word or two with Rita when she visited her grave tomorrow. 

“The house smells great. Did you cook Indian tonight?” Anna asked.

Beattie nodded. “Kali daal. It’s as close to perfect as I’ve ever come.”

“I’m glad.”

“Aye.”

“I wonder if I could have some? I haven’t eaten since I left for Dave’s house.”


	18. Seventeen

Seventeen

Dave hit the door with his palm. There was a resounding smack when skin hit wood. The pain of the impact raced like a shockwave up his arms, rattling his bones, until it was stopped by his shoulder. For a moment he feared he’d broken the delicate bones in his hand, but the pain decreased when he wiggled his fingers experimentally. He could hear a gasp outside the door and pictured Sarah and Rose shrinking away.

“Leave me alone!” he snarled for good measure. “I don’t want you!”

 _I don’t want anyone. I just want to be left alone,_ he thought, turning and sliding down the length of the door. He curled up when he reached the floor, staring at the mess on the bed. He’d scattered the contents of the box he’d found in Rita’s bedside table over the purple bedspread.

“All right,” he could hear Rose say through the door. “We’re leaving.” He heard them descend the stairs, two pairs of feet. Then the house was shrouded in silence.

Until Anna’s visit the contents of Rita's bedside table had been taboo, and Dave had always accepted her need for privacy. He’d always accepted it, respected it and even understood it. Or so he’d thought. Rita needed her independence, her secrets; he was always afraid he’d lose her if he didn’t give her the space she demanded. And now he knew why.

Her encoded diaries had only been the tip of the iceberg. It turned out that her secrets had dominated and steered his life. She had taken advantage of him rather shamelessly, and now he kind of envied Stuart. He, at least, hadn’t loved Rita. He’d found her attractive, fucked and impregnated her, no strings attached. When he’d wanted to see his daughter, she’d cut him off. There was no love involved. Certainly no friendship. To Rita, it had been a business deal.

But with him, things had been different. Because he’d loved her, she’d been able to ask for her private space, and because he’d loved her, she didn’t even need to ask him if he wanted any more children. She’d just had his babies, and he’d always been over the moon and welcomed them. Last of them Evie, had been a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. He loved each of their children.

They’d always assumed Evie was an accident, an accident after which Rita had agreed to finally take the pill. Only she had decided she wanted another child, and had, without consulting him, stopped taking it.

He got up and went to sit on the bed. He picked up the opened blister pack, the one he’d first assumed belonged to Rose, and then to Lucy. But it was Rita’s. She’d died on a Monday, and the last pill had been taken out of a Tuesday blister. She had stopped taking the pill before her accident. And now he knew how long before. Nine weeks.

Tears started falling again.

It was all there, even the home pregnancy test, and the documentation from her doctor, and a box of vitamins for pregnant women. He’d also found the home pregnancy tests for Lucy, Paul, Ewan, and Evie, and while she’d given them consecutive numbers, she’d at one point labelled them with their names. The latest one just carried a number 5.

Along with the children’s medical history, Rita had kept their milk teeth (apart from Evie, who still had them), and other mementoes from their childhood. She’d kept all these items neatly in boxes. Even Number Five, Quintus, Quentin, already had one.

Dave put all the items on the duvet back into their respective boxes and stacked them neatly where he found them in Rita’s bedside table. He only kept the newest box.

He shifted to lean against the headboard on his side of the bed and picked up her last diary. He’d only opened it once to add the words “My love died today at two minutes past two”. He hadn’t added the date. Why would he, he’d never forget that awful day when he thought his life had ended.

He’d given her that diary; he’d liked its simple design, and the elastic that held it shut in particular. She’d written in it with great regularity. He’d never opened it and he’d always respected her personal space when she was writing in it.

He couldn’t give her that privacy any more now, he knew that, but he didn’t feel quite ready enough yet to go through it to find what he was looking for.

Dave lay down, curling up on his side with his nose buried in the pillow on Rita’s side. Only it was Rose’s side now, and the pillowcase carried her scent. It was so very different from Rita’s. It was soothing, and he wished he hadn’t driven her away.

-:-

Dave woke with a start to darkness. It took his eyes a while to pick out different shades of shadows in his bedroom. While he lay there, staring into the darkness, he listened.

The house was silent.

He turned his head to check the luminous display of the alarm clock. It was three to eleven. Not that unreasonable a time of day, or night, but it meant he’d slept for several hours. It had been an anaesthetic sleep, devoid of dreams and rest.

Sighing, he sat up. He was tired, but he needed to check on the children. He feared he’d been inexcusably horrid to them earlier, and he wanted to make sure that they were all right.

He skipped Lucy’s room, she was still at the Priory with Lily. The repairs on the pod ship of the Isolus were a bit more complicated than the alien had thought it would, and Lucy could not be convinced to come home. Dave loved her even more for her loyalty to Lily.

When he opened the door to Evie’s room, however, he found it empty. Even Amy was gone. Maybe they’d fallen asleep on one of the sofas in the lounge. Padding down the stairs, he checked on the boys’ rooms, but they, too, were empty. “Where are you?” he mumbled, doubling back to the lounge. It was neat, the blankets folded and draped over the arms of the sofas.

He went into the kitchen and switched the light on. In the middle of the table sat a sheet of paper, propped against it the bowl of fruit.

_Dear Dave,_

_The children and Lottie are at Beattie’s for the night (Lucy is at the Priory; she has no idea that something happened). Sarah and I are at the pub, hoping you’ll not do anything rash. Which is why I’ve taken your car keys and the ones for your bike. Sorry._

_Call when you’re ready to talk. I’ll have a wee chat with Anna in the morning. It appears she and Robin are out this evening; they have tickets for the opera._

_Love, Rose._

He looked at his watch. It was too late now for the pub. “Fuck,” he muttered. He had made a right mess of things.

Dave found his phone sitting by the fruit bowl, and he smiled. Trust Rose to put a semblance of order to the mess that his life had become. He selected her number from the contacts list and hit the green button.

“Hey,” Rose said.

“Hullo.”

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I just wanted to say hi so you don’t worry about me.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m sorry, Rose.”

“What for?”

“For shutting you out. For treating you all like I have.”

There was a short pause. “I’m sure you have your reasons.” There was a note of hurt underlying her voice that cut him to the quick.

“I feel like a right bastard,” he said.

Rose sighed. “Call yourself a taxi. I’ll see you at mine.”

“What about Sarah?”

“She’s waiting for her taxi here with me.”

“Pass the phone to her, will ye? See you in a bit.” There was some rustling as Rose gave her mobile to Sarah.

“Dave?”

“Thanks for coming. There was nothing you could have done. Apart from sorting the bairns out. And thank you for taking care of them. I don't know what I'd do without you,” he said.

“Anna’s not my favourite person at the moment. Are you going to tell me why?” she asked.

“Not now, I’m sorry. I can’t.”

“But you’re going to tell Rose, yeah? Look, love, I’ve got to go. My taxi just arrived.” She ended the conversation with a kiss and returned the phone to Rose.

“Are you? Going to tell me?” Rose asked.

He sighed. For a moment he wished it had all been but a dream. But of course it wasn’t. The pain rose from the pit of his stomach and claimed his heart again, taking away his ability to breathe freely. “Aye,” he choked.

“I’ll come to yours, if that’s okay?” Rose offered.

Dave considered it for a moment. He wanted her company, but he didn’t want to be here, in this room. It made him question everything he’d ever had with Rita, and he needed to escape. “Can I come to yours instead?” he asked.

-:-

“Just hold me, aye?” he said standing naked in her room, wrapped in her arms. Rose, too, was naked, and her warm skin made him feel safe. When he kissed her, he tasted the grapes of the Sicilian red wine on her tongue, and he kissed her long enough to reveal her own taste. His need for her tonight was absolute, an idea that both shocked and comforted him.

If Anna had thought he’d change his mind about the wedding she was profoundly mistaken.

“Are you going to tell me what happened?” Rose asked, raking her fingernails through the short hair at the back of his neck.

He took in a shaky breath. “Not tonight, if that’s all right. I can’t speak of it yet.”

“Okay,” she said softly, the fingers of her other hand fanning out between his shoulder blades.

“I will tell you.”

“Hey,” she said, kissing his collarbone. “Whatever you need, Dave.”

Thankfully, she didn’t mention the bairns. He must have scared them, and he hated himself for it. He owed them the truth; but he had no idea how to tell them.

“Thanks.”

He kissed her, fresh tears pooling in his eyes. _What is wrong with me?_

Rose brushed them away with her fingers when she felt their wetness against her skin. She kissed him back, and before long he was beginning to harden, his cock straining against the taut skin of her stomach.

“Sorry, he said,” letting go of her. “I’m all over the place tonight. I’m such a mess.”

“You needed to cry, I held you. You need to make love, I’ll hold you,” Rose said, cupping his cheek. “Questions asked later.”

He smiled, plucking his hand from his cheek. “I can’t wait to marry you, Rose.”

Her smile accompanied a lovely blush.

“You know me so well. I hope that some day I’ll be worthy of you,” he said, leaning his forehead against hers.

“Don’t say that,” she protested. “Promise me that, Dave. Never doubt how much I love you. Yeah?”

“Aye. If you do the same thing. We’ll get through the rest of this nightmare like that, won’t we?”

“Yeah,” she said. “So. Would you like to cuddle or…?”

“I’d like to—”

“Yeah?” She looked up at him. “Say it, Dave.”

“I’d like to show you that you can trust me. I need you to know that, before we get married,” he said. He could see in her eyes that she was wondering what had brought this on, but he also saw that she didn’t even need to think about it.

“Show me.”

He swallowed. “Is it okay if I blindfold you?”

“Tie me up as well?” she asked, her eyes filling with darkness as they idea nestled between her legs.

“No,” he replied. “No, I don’t want that. I just want you unable to see me.”

“Why? I love looking at you when we make love. You’re beautiful. And hot. I love your face when you come.”

He twitched against her. “How do you always know what to say?”

She pushed the tip of her tongue between her teeth and tilted her head a little. “Just like you know what to do to pleasure me. Inside and outside the bedroom.”

“Really?” He swelled with pride.

She looked down between them, where his cock twitched against their skin. “Yeah,” she laughed. “Although I ought to be careful, lest you let it go to your head.”

There was a moment of silence between them before they erupted in a serious case of the giggles, during which they stepped apart to sit on the edge of the bed. When they sobered, there were tears in his eyes again, and he brushed them away with his fingers.

“Not really that funny,” he said.

Rose shook her head, getting rid of the evidence of her own mirth. “No, but absolutely necessary.”

His erection had gone down too, and, crestfallen, he looked at his lap.

“Let me help you with that,” Rose said, following his gaze. She was about to reach for him when he grabbed her wrist.

“Blindfold?”

“Sure,” she said. “I have a sleeping mask from the trip to the Empty Quarter. Will that do? It’s not particularly sexy.”

“I don’t care,” he growled. Just the idea that she was so ready to oblige him brought some of his earlier excitement back. “Hurry.”

Rose disappeared into her walk-in wardrobe, and when she returned, she was wearing the sleeping mask. She knew her way round in her bedroom, even in complete darkness. “Tada!” she said, posing by cocking her hip and raising her hands.

He was speechless. She was stunning. She’d tied her head into an untidy knot to prevent the elastic of the sleeping from slipping. There was a soft blush to her nipples, and he noticed that she had trimmed her curls for him.

“Dave?”

“You look gorgeous,” he said, his throat suddenly dry.

“Well?” she held out her right hand for him to guide her to the bed. She knew her way round her home, but she was still willing to relinquish control to him. Technically, they could end this game right then and there. She did trust him.

But he rose to pull her towards the bed. She seemed to have expected to give him a blow job because she paused briefly and moved as if to kneel on the floor, but instead he tugged at her hand and whispered for her to get onto the bed.

She climbed on top of it and lay down at the centre, waiting for him, and no doubt listening as he removed the collection of pillows and the extra blanket at the foot of the bed.

“Dave?” she asked, looking away from him. She’d lost her bearings. 

“I’m here,” he said, and she turned her head towards him, smiling tentatively. “Are you sure this is all right?”

“Yeah. Just nervous.”

“Don’t be. It’s only me.”

She laughed. “Because it is you.”

“I hope this never stops. This sense of wonder we share with each other,” he whispered. It was going to be hard work, he knew it had been with Rita. But maybe it didn’t have to be with Rose.

“Never,” she replied.

She lay on top of her duvet, her body a little tense with anticipation and a hint of insecurity. He joined her, the mattress dipping under his weight. She flinched briefly as she felt it.

“Relax,” he cooed, touching her hand so he didn’t frighten her. “I’m going to kiss you.” Bracing himself with a hand on either side of her body, he lowered himself to do just that. It was tender kiss, just lips on lips. “It’s just me,” he said.

“I know!” she cried, her tone suggesting that that was why she was nervous. “We can always stop this.”

“No!” she protested. “It’s just I need to get used to this.”

“Ah, but I’d hoped you wouldn’t.” She squealed when he cupped her sex.

“Dave!”

He withdrew his hand. “Sorry. I hadn’t meant to do that.” It was true. If he unleashed his mischievousness, both of them might be in for more than they bargained for. All he’d wanted, when he suggested the blindfold, was that she would let him explore every inch of her body; he’d caress her with his mouth and hands. Worship her. “We can stop it. Really.”

“No. Please.”

“I’m just going to touch you, aye?”

She bit her lip. “Okay.”

He ran his hands over her body slowly, lightly, to give her an idea of where he was and to reassure her that he wasn’t going to surprise her. She’d not been wet when he’d cupped her sex. He wanted to make sure that by the time he slipped into her, she’d be dripping.

Dave enjoyed the gentle hiss that the movement of his skin against hers created, and the little sighs that accompanied it. Carefully, so as not to startle her, he lay down beside her. She moved her face towards him when the mattress dipped, and he drew her towards him for a kiss, cupping the crown of her head to hold her still.

His free hand, in the meantime, resumed its journey across her body. It outlined her collarbones and cupped her shoulder, his thumb brushing over the mole there. Then he moved down to her breast, and he smiled at her moan when he pinched her nipple between his fingers. Before she had a chance to relax, he shifted to suck that nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the impossibly soft, rubbery nubbin of her flesh. He released her breast with an audible pop, smacking his lips. “I love the way you taste,” he whispered, blowing air over her wet nipple. 

Rose sobbed. “Please, Dave.”

“Aye?”

“More,” she said, smiling, pushing her head into the mattress, inviting him to do more.

“Aye, my love,” he breathed, moving to her other breast to give it the same treatment. Rose’s mouth fell open in delight, and he pushed his thumb into its warm wetness. Rose closed her lips around him and sucked, swirling her soft tongue around him.

“Rose!” he moaned as he imagined her mouth on his cock.

She opened her legs for him. “Please, Dave. No games. Just take me. Please?”

He shook his head, supplying the “No” belatedly. He kissed his way down her body, along her legs. He took care to lick the backs of her knees, sucked at the bones in her ankles and swirled his tongue around her big toes. Rose bucked and gurgled at the sensation, and he could see moisture pearl in her curls.

“How does this feel, Rose?”

“Sooo good,” she sighed. “Your tongue is so soft, and your mouth is so warm.”

He sucked at her instep before kissing and licking his way up her neglected leg. He blew cooling puffs of air onto her when he reached her sex, and Rose shivered. Lying down between her legs, he parted her lips with one hand while he held her down with the other. Without warning, he tasted her, flattening his tongue over as much of her sex as possible.

“Dave!” Rose cried, rising off the bed, curling on her side and reaching blindly for his head. He caught her hand.

“I’m here.”

“Don’t ever stop.”

He smiled, bending to kiss her again. She was becoming increasingly wetter, and the more he licked her juices up, the more she seemed to have. She was rolling her hips back and forth to help him find the perfect spot for the moment, and he had a little trouble following her, even with a hand on her hip. The other one was busy caressing her from the inside.

Curling his fingers, they found the spot he had memorised, the spot that made her arch and cry.

And, tonight, loose her senses. She slumped limply onto the mattress, panting. He scurried up the bed to lie beside her, carefully removing the mask so she’d not feel disoriented when she recovered.

He held her close, peppering her skin and hair with tiny kisses, whispering to her.

“That was so good,” Rose crooned, stretching luxuriously in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open, startling him with their golden-brown. “Now it’s your turn.”

When she made him cry and sob she took all of him. He was hers.


	19. Eighteen

Eighteen

Still drowsy, Rose padded down to the kitchen in search of Dave. She’d put on a pair of knickers and stolen his jumper. At first she’d thought he’d forgotten it, but he had picked it up from the floor and laid it out on the chaise longue. It was one of his oldest ones, a beautiful cream Arran jumper. It had stretched out with wear, and the wool at the neck was frayed where it had caught in his stubble. Rose loved the jumper because it was so him, and it was warm and the wool carried his scent for a long time.

Dave was in the kitchen, making coffee. Or at least that’s what it looked like he’d intended to do. The kettle had clicked off, but he hadn’t filled the cafetière with coffee; the jar sat beside him unopened. Dave stood at the counter, propped on his hands and stared unseeing at the marble. He was in his jeans and vest, his hair still damp from a shower.

“Good morning,” she said, walking to him to slide her arm around his waist.

He jumped at her words and her touch, but was game for a kiss. “Is it?” he asked, his eyes dulled by the events of the past day.

“I was hoping you’d be feeling better today,” she said, rubbing his lower back in circles as she watched him measure out the coffee into the glass beaker and pour the water over it. The coffee swirled and darkened it immediately, releasing its intense aroma. It was one of her favourite morning smells, perhaps surpassed only by finding Dave freshly showered and shaved.

He let out a shuddering sigh and his eyes took on the shiny quality heralding tears. “Oh no, oh my love,” she whispered, pulling him into her arms. She still had no idea why he was so distraught. The power Anna had over him was dismaying and frightening. Rose wanted desperately to know, fwhat had happened between them.

Dave held on to her, but he sobbed only once and took a minute or two to collect himself before seeking her mouth for a kiss. Rose opened up beneath him, giving him what he needed without being passive. The underlying desperation in his passion was hard to match, but she did her best to keep up with him.

She pushed him gently away when she needed air. Dave’s lips were swollen from kissing her, and his eyes showed traces of his tears. She stood on the tips of her toes to press a kiss to his smooth cheek. “Pour the coffee, yeah? Then we’ll sit and talk.”

He nodded slowly.

“If you want, that is,” she amended. “If you’re ready.”

“Aye. Thanks, Rose.”

She smiled, kissing him again. “It’s a porridge day,” she said with a pointed glance at the window. It was one of those days that never got really light; it was rainy and windy, basically the perfect day to spend in bed making love, or on the sofa reading a book while waiting for a cake to cool.

Dave shuddered at the gloominess. “Aye, ye’re right.”

“Let’s have some then,” she said with a smile and got the ingredients ready.

While she made the porridge, Dave toasted bread and passed her triangles slathered liberally with butter and jam. When some dribbled onto her palm and wrist he was there to lick it up. He touched her bum once or twice and slid his hand beneath her jumper to rub her stomach and quickly cup her mons, stole a few kisses, but didn’t take things further. She was rather puzzled by his behaviour. This need of his for closeness paired with the restraint he exercised on himself was a side of him that was new to her. It had to do with Anna, of course, and she felt her patience running out.

They settled at her dining table, facing each other, with the food and some orange juice. Rose planted her feet firmly on the ground, enjoying the warmth of the underfloor heating she’d had installed.

“Have some porridge first,” Dave said, barely touching his own.

“Aren’t you hungry after last night? When’s the last time you ate?”

“A quick breakfast yesterday,” he said. “I was so busy at the studio I had no time and then the hunger was gone and then Anna showed up.”

_Finally._

“And?”

“And she’s not happy about us getting married. Which is why she told me something she isn’t supposed to know about in the first place,” he said.

“You’ve done a lot of thinking, haven’t you?” Rose asked, carefully eating a spoonfull of porridge. She’d made it to near-perfection, but was unable to really appreciate it.

“I didn’t sleep much last night. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologise,” she said.

“I know why the compensation was so much higher than we’d expected,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Rita was pregnant.”

Rose dropped her spoon and gaped at him. “Oh my God.” It took her a few beats to take in the news. She’d assumed it was something bad, but she couldn’t possibly have imagined it would be _this_ bad. “You didn’t know. Did Rita know?”

His eyes filled with tears again. “Yes,” he hissed. “She’d gone off the pill earlier. You remember the blister pack I asked you about? It was hers.”

Rose sat there, unable to speak. Rita’s abuse was unbelievable. Dave was such a sweet, kind man. Devoted to his family and beside himself with love when he loved. Rita must have understood this very early on and took advantage of him. There was no other explanation. Rose knew she could be selfish, but never to the extent of Rita’s.

“Say something?” Dave muttered, gnawing his knuckles as he pressed his folded hands against his mouth. His eyes were swimming in tears again. 

She reached out for him, taking his hand and closing her fingers firmly around it. “I don’t know what to say. Bitch probably covers it best, but it’s not my place to judge her. What she did is unforgivable. When had she planned on telling you?”

“She was nine weeks along. I should have been able to _tell_ ,” he said. “I thought I knew her, Rose. How could she do something like that? You know, Evie was a surprise. We hadn’t planned to have her.”

“We meaning you,” Rose said bitterly.

He nodded, covering her hand with his free one before he brought her knuckles to his lips for a kiss. “I love every single one of my children, Rose. I was over the moon when we had them, and I’d have agreed to have Evie, if she’d just asked me. I’d have agreed to more, too, just like I would love to have one or two with you. But she just went ahead and got herself pregnant without… The betrayal, Rose. I’d always thought I could trust her, the way she could trust me to respect her privacy.”

“I know that hurts,” she whispered, choking on her rage at the woman she’d never met.

“Rita had planned it. I found the pregnancy test. You know, she made a box for each child, for keepsakes. There was already one for number five,” he said, shaking with a mixture of rage and grief. Tears spilled over and streamed down his cheeks. “I’m afraid of what I’ll find in her diary.”

“I don’t think reading her diary is a good idea,” Rose said gently, brushing his tears away with her free hand. “Don’t read it. It’ll only bring more grief.” She took a deep breath. “What did Anna think she’d accomplish by telling you all this? How did she know in the first place?”

“She found the court files.”

“But why did she tell you? When even the judges didn’t? Do you think Stuart—”

“No. He’d have nothing to gain. This is pure Anna. She doesn’t want me to be happy with you.”

“By damaging your opinion of Rita, her dear sister?” Rose asked.

“That wasn’t the plan. The plan obviously was to remind me of my grief. To let me know that I haven’t only lost Rita, but another child as well. Anna knows how much I loved each of the bairns before they were even born,” he said, his voice shaking and gravelly as he tried to retain a modicum of control over his feelings.

Rose didn’t know what to say. “Dave, I… there are no words. I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?” She reached across the table for his hand again. It was warm but trembling a little. Rose brushed her thumb over the hairs there.

“You’re doing exactly the right thing,” he said, smiling. He sniffed. “You know what I hate most?”

“Hmm?”

“What neither of them even considered. I find it hard to trust Anna, and…”

“And me?” Rose asked carefully. He didn’t dare say it for fear of offending her, but she felt he needed to say it.

He was sheepish when he nodded.

Rose sighed. “I understand. I really understand why you’d feel that way. But I hope that I’m not giving you any reason not to trust me.”

“No!” he gasped. “Heavens, no, Rose. I do trust you. I know I can trust you. It’s more like I don’t trust myself to have found someone like you.”

“I can be rather selfish too,” she said.

“I know. And that’s okay because you give so much in return. You have no idea what it means to us that you’re willing to adopt the wee ones. And have even offered to do the same for Lucy,” he said.

“I really can’t have any babies,” she said, again at a loss for words. “Which is not why I want the bairns. They asked me to adopt them in the first place. Tell Anna that when she raises the issue. I’m not snatching your children. I love them.”

“We all do stupid things when we’re in love.”

Rose blinked. She took the time she needed to make sure she understood what he was saying, and she had to be very careful with what she said next. If there were a way to sugarcoat it or even avoid saying it at all, she would. But Anna hadn’t left her any choice. “Do you honestly think I would exploit the children?”

Dave started at her. “What? No, of course not.” He sipped his coffee. “That is what Anna’s suggestion implies, isn’t it?”

“I’m not some kind of sicko, or so lonely that I’d need the thrill of playing with your feelings, or the children’s for that matter,” she said, her voice sounding pressed. There had been a story about a woman who had inveigled herself into a family like Dave’s to see how everyone coped with the tragic loss of the mother. After the story came out because someone finally couldn’t handle the unethicality and finally went public. 

But that wasn’t what Dave was after. “You didn’t know about the baby, did you?” His eyes begged her to say no.

“No, I didn’t,” she said.

“You’re…”

“I never asked the court or the lawyers why they’d upped the compensation. Sometimes you find a sympathetic judge, with a strong sense of justice,” Rose said.

They sat in silence for a few beats.

“Do you really think I could, or would, keep such a secret from you? Doesn’t it seem more likely that I’d have told you, to get you to forget about Rita sooner, to see the difference between us?”

“Rose, that’s… that’s just horrible,” he said, his eyes widening.

“I’m sorry to say this, Dave,” she began.

He took a deep breath. “Go ahead.”

“Anna is just as manipulative as Rita was. I don’t know what I’ve done to make her hate me so.”

He gave her a long look, and she feared he’d protest or tell her off. But he didn’t. “You’re not Rita.”

She deflated. “Yeah, I know I’m not. But did she really expect you to stay single for the rest of your life?”

-:-

“It’s just too soon after Rita’s death,” Anna said defiantly. She dug her fingers into the material of her jumper as she crossed her arms. It looked painful, and barely covered her indignation.

“We fell in love with each other,” Dave said. “There’s no timer on that.”

“What about your love for Rita? What you two have is just not decent,” Anna continued, her blue eyes flaring.

“How dare you doubt my love for Rita,” Dave growled. “You have no idea, Anna, no idea at all.” Suddenly, his barely contained rage bubbled to the surface. Rose got an ever better understanding of what he’d been putting up with all those years when he’d smiled at Anna’s and Rita’s behaviour towards him.

“You never married her. You have three children with her and raised Lucy as your own, yet you never married her.”

“I was afraid I’d lose her if I did,” Dave countered, his tone indicating that Anna was on extremely thin ice now.

“You never asked her!” Anna jeered.

“She said no.”

“What?”

Dave straightened somewhat. “I asked her and she turned me down. She said no, Anna. She didn’t want me. She just wanted my children and the financial security I could offer,” he said bitterly.

“Dave,” Rose said, reaching out for him.

Anna’s mouth was agape. “How dare you,” she finally managed to say.

“It’s the truth, isn’t it?” he asked. “She didn’t ask me about a third and a fourth child. She just took them. She made the decision all by herself and presented them to me as an accident.”

“Because the were,” Anna spat.

“No, Anna, they were not. I found the packet of her pill. It was half-empty.”

“Maybe she forgot to take it and—“

“And didn’t have the decency to tell me so we could use other means of protection?” he said. “I am sure that if I read her diary I’ll find that she’d planned Evie and this last baby.”

“But you love Evie.”

Rose mentally rolled her eyes.

“Of course I love Evie!” Dave said. “How could I not?”

Anna set her jaw.

“Did she tell you? Did she tell you she was pregnant?” Dave asked softly.

Anna clapped her hand over her mouth and shook her head.

“Did she, Anna?” Robin asked sharply. So far, he’d held back, just like Rose, the two of them ready to cut in when things got out of hand between Dave and Anna. “Did she tell you about the baby?”

“She told me wanted another one,” Anna said softly. 

“She told you…?” Dave repeated. He stood still for a few more beats to wait for her nod, and when it came he left the room.

“But you didn’t know she was pregnant,” Robin concluded.

Ann shook her head.

“So you had to be sure, after the accident and… and did what, exactly? Hmm?” Robin asked, growing indignant himself.

Rose was curious about the answer too. The reason for the unexpectedly high compensation was not included in the printed verdict. As far as Rose knew, the lawyers were bound to maintain confidentiality.

“Why wouldn’t the court divulge the reasons for increasing the compensation?” Rose asked. “Someone must have asked them not to. Isn’t it the job of the judge to be unbiased as he looks at all of the evidence?”

Robin looked at his wife expectantly.

“I did. I asked them not to.”

“What?”

“I wanted to protect Dave from more grief,” Anna said. “When he didn’t mention the baby the night of the accident I knew that Rita hadn’t told him.”

“But you didn’t stop there, did you?” Rose pressed her.

Anna shook her head. “No. If Rita wanted something she made sure she got it. I wanted to know if she was pregnant so I… I called in a few favours and got the report from the pathologist. It’s in there. Rita was nine weeks pregnant when she died.”

Rose was at a loss for words. Anna never ceased to amaze her with her horrible behaviour. The awful thing was that Rose could even understand the need behind her snooping around and _calling in favours._ But what really upset her was the way Anna used it to stir Dave’s insecurity and take advantage of his loyalty just to get her out of the way or to protect her sister's memory.

“This is unbelievable and incredible,” Robin gasped, faltering. “I’m sorry, I think I’d better check on Dave.”

Rose wasn’t sure if he was aware of the danger in which he left his wife by going in search of Dave.

Anna took in a shaky breath and gnawed at the nail of her thumbnail, awaiting Rose’s storm to break. At least she seemed to understand that she was in trouble.

“Why didn’t you talk to me? Do you have any idea of what you’ve done to Dave? And the children? They were distraught yesterday because they didn’t understand why their father locked himself in his room. Dave sounded like a wounded animal,” Rose said, forcing the words past the lump in her throat.

“I’m sorry,” Anna said.

Rose blinked. “Is that all you have to say for yourself? I’m sorry? I’ve been here these past months, picking up after Rita and you, I held them when they were beside themselves with grief for their mother. Did you honestly think for one moment that if I just were after Dave, or whatever you think I was after, I’d have stayed with them through this? It isn’t easy, helping a whole family through the loss of a loved one.”

Anna opened her mouth.

“And this is how you thank me for it?”

“I did help,” she began.

“Yes, you did. But when it became difficult you ran home and left them to themselves,” Rose said.

“They should have gotten professional help. Not you.”

“I know that, but there was a bit much going on, now, wasn’t there?” Rose said. “Dave and I are getting married because we love each other. We wanted to wait to allow everyone to adjust to the idea. But then the accident happened — I’m fine, by the way — and there is such a thing as waiting too long.” She took a deep breath.

“You are accident-prone, aren’t you?” Anna said, smelling insecurity and pouncing on it.

“You’re a good at snooping around in other people’s lives, aren’t you?” Rose said. “If you want to remain part of our life, Anna, I suggest you revisit your reasons. And if you do, I’d be happy to start again so we can be at least civilised around each other. But I will not allow you to bring more misery upon this family — _my_ family. Is that understood?”

Anna nodded briskly.


	20. Nineteen

Nineteen

“I thought the Isolus would be gone by now,” Dave said, mildly bewildered, when Frankie took him to the Infirmary.

“Actually, I believe they’re waiting for you. Lucy wants you there when the Isolus leaves Lily. Just in case,” the nurse said.

Dave looked at her in alarm. “Is there any reason to worry?” He felt guilty for wanting to get back home as soon as possible. He’d planned to cook dinner for the bairns and then explain his breakdown, He was nervous about it.

“I don’t think so. But Lucy could do with a bit of moral support.”

“Of course,” Dave said.

If there was anything Rita’s betrayal had taught him, it was the need for complete honesty with the children and unconditional support, in the hope that they’d always trust him and vice versa. He wanted them to always be safe in the knowledge that if they made a mistake they’d not be on their own. That he would always be there to help. He also hoped that they’d never become as selfish as Rita had been. Lucy seemed to have figured it out when she met Stuart and Lily.

She and Lucy were snogging in Lily’s room. He’d always known that seeing Lucy grow up in this regard would be difficult; watching her give herself over to another person. Of course that involved seeing her kiss someone, and he’d always hoped he’d be cool about it; be able to accept it as the natural course of things. But now that he saw her in Lily’s arms, kissing her passionately, Dave felt a painful twinge in his chest. His little girl was growing up faster than he’d expected.

As soon as he and Frankie discovered the girls, he turned away in embarrassment. This was such a private moment and he felt like an intruder. Now he knew what the children must feel like when they found him and Rose kissing.

Frankie, however, felt no such sensation. She merely knocked on the doorjamb and said, “Right, girls. Dave’s here.”

When the girls let go of each other, Dave saw Lucy’s eyes shine, and her lips were plump and red from kissing. His ears grew warm, and so did the pit of his stomach. He just hoped that Lucy and Lily would be together for a long time.

“Hi,” he squeaked.

Lucy grinned. “Hi, Dad.”

“So, are you ready?” he asked.

Lily took a deep breath. “I suppose I am.”

Lucy looked at her in surprise. “Why?”

“Well, I… I think that I’ll feel a bit… empty without the Isolus. Now that I know about him, I suppose I’ve gotten used to him.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll be fine,” Lily smiled bravely, taking her girlfriend’s hand.

 _Her girlfriend’s hand,_ Dave thought.

“Honestly, Luce, I’ll be fine,” Lily said, kissing Lucy’s lips as she cupped her jaw.

Lucy smiled. “Yeah.”

Dave envied them their trust in the universe. He’d lost it, a sacrifice to adulthood, but he realised that now that Rose was in his life, the universe was not as harsh as it had seemed for while.

“Hey!” Rose said, smiling and snaking her arm around his waist. She stole a quick kiss from him. “You ready, Miss Innes? Miss Morris?”

Lucy and Lily wove their fingers together and Lily took a deep breath. “Yes, Ms Tyler.”

“Well, then, let’s to it, shall we? The pod is ready in the courtyard. All we need to do is get the Isolus. Mickey has found a chair for you, Lily, so that you’ll be comfy when we connect,” Rose said cheerfully. She made it sound so simple, but Dave knew that establishing the link was anything but simple. Rose had asked him to bring a bar of dark chocolate, with as high a percentage of pure cocoa as was legally available in Glaswegian shops.

“What about you, Rose? Where are you going to sit?” Lily asked, stepping towards them, Lucy in tow.

“I’ll have a nice chair as well,” Rose said, smiling softly at Dave at her sweet concern. Lily let go of Lucy’s hand to catch up with Rose. Lucy allowed Dave to put his arm around her shoulders. His heart warmed at her need for reassurance. 

“I’m actually a bit reluctant to let him go,” she said softly to Rose. “He came here with me, and he protected me. I think he saved my life.”

Rose leaned conspiratorially towards her, but her voice was serious when she said, “I’m sure the feeling is mutual, Lily.”

Lily ducked her head.

“I think she needs you now,” Dave said, withdrawing his arm. He pressed a quick kiss to her temple. “I think the two of you are wonderful together.”

Lucy looked at him in surprise, but smiled when she saw that he meant what he’d said. “Thanks, Dad.”

Donna joined them in the courtyard; she’d sent Dominic home, much to his consternation. He didn’t like it when doctors took care of their own. “I stared him down. And won,” Donna told Dave with a huge grin.

“I almost don’t want to be here myself,” he confided. “It’s about my little girl and Rose.”

“She’s not so little any more, is she?” Donna said. “I envy you, Dave.”

His eyes rounded.

“I really like Lily. But I doubt I’ll ever develop maternal feelings for her. Don’t get me wrong, I feel very protective of her. But I’m not so sure about the mumsy part,” she said.

Dave laughed, which earned him an angry glance from her. “Oh Donna. You’re here, aren’t you? I’d call that more than just protective.”

“Yeah. But I think sudden unexpected motherhood does that to you.”

“There you have it,” he grinned. He didn’t want to make light of their shared concern, however. “I know what you mean, Donna. I think of Lucy as my little girl although she isn’t mine. I’m not even her adopted father.”

“Yet. You have done everything to become her legal guardian. You’ve known her since she was wee. I, on the other hand, well.”

Dave draped his arm around her shoulders. “Sudden unexpected motherhood, eh?”

She laughed, nudging him.

Torchwood owned surprisingly luxurious patio furniture. Rose and Lily lay facing each other on a set of recliners made of sustainable, tropical wood, cushioned by thick white padding. The scene looked very intimate, and they stood back a little to give them some space. Only Mickey was close to them. He had set up the grill and lit a gas fire. On a tripod above the flame was a stainless steel egg cup containing the bean-shaped pod ship. Dave frowned.

“It’s for the pod ship,” Donna explained. “Apparently, it needs a lot of intense heat.”

“Did you manage to repair it?”

“Yeah,” Jake said clearly a bit proud of their work. “It wore poor Lily out. The Isolus accessed her speech centre and made sure that the repairs were done correctly.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Dave asked in concern.

“The Isolus assured us she would, and Lily agreed to the procedure,” Jake said.

Dave pursed his lips and folded his arms across his chest. It was rather a lot to ask of the girl, but he knew that they didn’t have any other choice.

Mickey draped a heavy blanket over Rose and Lily to keep them warm. Dave hoped that this would be over soon. They were going to take Rose to her own home after the Isolus was gone, and then they’d go on to Hillingdon Drive. Rose and Lily needed to rest in their own beds and eat chocolate, and he had actually asked Rose for an evening alone with the children. He was still debating whether to give them their baby memento boxes. Then, of course, he was going to tell them about Quintus. He hadn’t yet decided exactly how he was going to tell them about their sibling.

He was roused from his thoughts when both Lily and Rose gasped audibly. Lily rolled away from Rose and onto her back, arching off the recliner. Her mouth opened wide as a mother-of-pearl shimmer rose on her breath into the cold air. At the same time, Rose let out a small cry when the telepathic link was severed suddenly. Dave couldn’t even begin to imagine what that must be like. Lucy’s fingers dug into his arm through the material of his coat.

Then, a jellyfish-shaped flower rose from between Lily’s lips in a burst of tiny, crystal fireworks.

“The Isolus!” Jake breathed.

The Isolus somersaulted in the air, leaving bright sparks in his wake as he danced on the breeze with joy. He soon found the heat source and his ship. Dave wondered how the alien was going to fit into the tiny pod when he remembered that the TARDIS was bigger on the inside. “But how is he going to get inside?” he mumbled.

Lucy squeezed his arm tightly. “Oh my God, Dad!”

“It’s going to be all right,” he said, covering her hand with his. “Look!”

The pod increased in size and bloomed open to receive the Isolus, who disappeared inside it in a funnel of bright light. The pod closed around it with a small clicking sound. It started to bounce in the eggcup, and then, suddenly with a big leap, it launched itself off the grill, did a few experimental laps in the air before it took off into the afternoon sky.

“Lily!” Lucy cried, tearing herself away from Dave to run to the recliner in which Lily lay very still, panting and as white as the flower she was named for. Donna joined her with a few long strides to check for vital signs.

Dave stood, unable to bring himself to move. What if something was wrong? What about Rose?

Jake patted his shoulder. “You all right, mate? You don’t look too well.”

“I’m,” he squeaked, taking a deep breath, and another, and another. He couldn’t get enough air in his lungs, and soon he felt lightheaded.

“Easy, Dave, easy,” Jake said, helping him to sit on the cold ground. “Breathe easy. Everything’s all right.”

“What?”

“Rose and Lily are all right,” Jake said. “Look.”

Dave followed Jake’s gaze to where Mickey and Donna were fussing over Lily and Rose. Lily had thrown up, but seemed okay otherwise. Rose was sitting with her elbows on her knees, taking deep breaths. Dave reached into the pocket for the chocolate bar. He needed to give it to her.

-:-

Dave was glad that he had made spaghetti bolognese often enough that he could cook pretty much on autopilot. He was still worried about Rose and Lily, although they and Donna had all reassured him that they were fine, if exhausted and a bit hungover from the telepathic link. He had tucked Rose in after she’d taken a quick shower, and had made sure that in addition to a large selection of dark chocolate, there was a bin next to the bed. Just in case.

Then, of course, there were the five boxes sitting on the counter, along with a newly framed photo of Rita. Looking at her smiling face was strange. Part of him had to smile back, but there was another part of him that only wanted to ask _Why did you do this to me?_

The children were unusually quiet when they joined him in the kitchen. They cleared the debris of the day off the table and set it with practised ease. He was surprised how well they had adjusted to the routine he and Lottie had established. Getting them to help with chores had always been a fight when Rita had been alive. But now they did them with little whining.

“You’re very quiet today,” he said, as he served the pasta. He passed the plates to Lucy who ladled generous helpings of the bolognese onto each steaming heap of coiled pasta.

The children smiled and shrugged.

Something was wrong.

They picked at their food, and every attempt to draw them out of their shells ended in a monosyllabic response.

“Right. What’s wrong with ye lot, eh?” he asked, putting down his fork.

Evie looked at him over the rim of her glasses, biting her lower lip.

“Have you done something?”

Evie shook her head.

He looked at the boys, and then at Lucy, who had become her sullen teenage self. She didn’t know, at least not from him, about what had happened Thursday night. Although he was sure that the wee ones had filled her in and now it was understandable that she felt left out.

“Have you and Rose split up?” Ewan finally blurted.

“What?”

“You were crying in your room,” Evie reminded him. “And you didn’t want to see Sarah or Rose.”

“Or us,” Paul mumbled.

Dave sagged in his chair. He had fucked this one up royally. “Rose and I haven’t split up.”

“You’re still going to marry her on Wednesday?” Evie asked, perking up comically.

He laughed. “Aye.”

“And Rose is still going to adopt us?” Evie asked.

“I don’t think we can stop her any more,” he said.

The children giggled. 

“Why were you crying then?” Paul wanted to know, not as easily distracted. He spoke very softly, as if afraid of his reaction rather than his answer.

“Will you eat your dinner if I promise to tell you everything later?” he asked.

“ _Indianerehrenwort_?” Ewan asked.

Dave frowned. “Scout’s honour,” he said, remembering the word.

The children looked from him to each other, debating silently. “Okay,” Ewan said eventually.

Dave sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

“Everything? You’ll tell us everything?” Lucy asked, still sceptical.

He nodded. “Cross my heart.”

They ate in silence for a while, but he was happy to see that their appetites seemed to have returned. They ate somehow making less of a mess than usual. Since Lottie had arrived their manners had improved considerably, and he sometimes felt self-conscious.

“Is Lily all right?” Evie asked eventually. Her mouth was red with sauce, and some of it had dribbled down her chin. Dave reached across the table to wipe her chin clean.

“Yeah, she’s fine. She’s very tired, though,” Lucy said.

“Is that why she and Rose aren’t here? They’re tired?” Paul asked.

“Yeah, and… and because of the thing with Dad,” Lucy said.

“What’s the Isolus like?” Ewan asked.

Lucy answered all of their questions patiently, and Dave smiled to himself. Apart from the topic of their conversation, he had the feeling that for the first time in a long while they were like a normal family.

After they were finished eating, they all cleared the table together and he sent them off to the lounge with the promise of hot chocolate.

He took the tray full of mugs in to them, and then went to get the five boxes.

“What are these?” Evie asked, getting up from her perch on the sofa.

“I found these while I was going through Mum’s things,” Dave said, taking a deep breath before he continued. “She had a box for each of you, in which she kept little souvenirs of you from when you were little.”

“What’s inside?” Ewan asked, craning his neck to read the label and find his. But Dave had turned the boxes so that the labels were hidden.

“Is that why you cried?” Evie asked.

“No,” Dave said softly.

“There are five boxes,” Lucy said. Although she’d spoken softly, she had everyone’s attention.

The bairns counted the boxes to make sure that Lucy was right.

“Does Tanya have a box too?” Evie asked.

“No, she doesn’t,” Dave said. “This box belongs to a new little brother or sister.”

“Is Rose pregnant after all?” Ewan asked, his eyes wide with horror and disappointment.

Lucy shook her head. “It’s Mum’s baby, isn’t it? She was pregnant when she… when…”

The bairns stared at her at first, and when they couldn’t quite believe her, they looked to him for an explanation. To his dismay, he found he was tearing up himself in response to Lucy’s watery eyes. For the first time, he felt deeply the loss of this last baby, rather than the rage at Rita’s betrayal. He nodded.

“Dad?” Paul asked. He needed to hear the words.

“Mum was having another baby when she had the accident,” Dave confirmed, wiping a tear off his cheek. “This is his, or her, box.”

“Is that what Anna told you? She knew about the baby and—” Ewan said.

“—And you didn’t,” Lucy finished his sentence.

Dave forced a smile and wiped away another tear. “That’s why I was so upset the another night and why I didn’t want to talk to anyone.”

“Was it a boy or a girl?” Evie asked solemnly.

“I don’t know, sweetheart, it was too early to tell,” he said. She moved towards him for a cuddle, and he gladly put the boxes on the coffee table to pull her into his lap. It was going to take her a while to understand the full meaning of what she had just learned.

“What’s in his box then?” Ewan asked.

“Open it. It’s the one at the bottom,” Dave said.

Ewan opened the box and found the bottle of vitamins, the papers from the doctor, and the pregnancy test. He frowned as he looked at it. “Why is there a thermometer in here?”

Of course. The closest thing that the kids would know that looked like a pregnancy test would be a thermometer. “It’s not. It’s… women pee on it to check if they are pregnant. Before they make an appointment with the doctor. See, there’s a little display.”

“Pregnant,” Ewan read.

Dave nodded. 

“What’s in our boxes?” Evie asked.

“Go ahead, open them,” Dave said, kissing the top of her head.

“Why didn’t Mum tell you about the baby? Or us? Nine weeks is a long time,” Lucy said.

Dave sighed. If only he knew. It was probably in her diary, but he didn’t want to read it, afraid of discovering even more. He wasn’t sure he was ready for that, not even to find her reasons. She might not have put them down in writing at all. “I suppose she was waiting for a good moment. Maybe she wanted to tell me after her exam.”

“Didn’t you _notice_?” she asked.

“Have you read about that?” he asked.

She shook her head. “School. Mr Black encouraged us to do some research on our own for homework. For extra marks. Plus… I’m curious.”

Dave flushed, ducking his head. He hadn’t noticed, although in retrospect the usual signs had been there. He’d just not consciously noticed them. It might have been more obvious if she’d suffered from morning sickness, but that had never been an issue for Rita. “Has Rita ever discussed boys with you?”

“Aye,” she said. “Not that I’m going to need it.”

“You might want to have children of your own one day,” Dave said. “No matter if you’re with a man or a woman.”

“Look!” Ewan cried, holding a small box up. “My milk teeth! They’re all there.”

“What’s in your box?” Evie asked Lucy, who hadn’t opened hers yet.

“Well, let’s see.”

Dave watched them open the box.

“So we would have had a wee baby sister or brother by now,” Paul said.

“Aye,” Dave squeaked.

Paul’s eyes welled up. “I miss her so much, Dad.”

He drew his oldest boy into his arms. “I know. I miss her too. It’s okay to cry, love.”

Dave held Paul while he cried, and when Ewan understood the magnitude of their loss, he came to him for a cuddle too, and Evie probably cried out of sympathy for her brothers. Lucy, on the other hand, looked straight at him, her eyes shone with tears, too, but she seemed to be thinking a step ahead. She didn’t entirely believe that the right moment hadn’t come for Rita to tell him. Lucy understood that there had been more to his breakdown.

“You hadn’t planned another baby,” she said when the wee ones had left the lounge to get ready for bed.

Dave shook his head.

“But Anna knew.”

“Aye.”

Lucy sat on the arm of the sofa. “I’m not sure what to make of all this. Of Stuart and this last baby.”

“The most important thing is that Rita loved you dearly, Lucy,” Dave said, at loss of anything else to say. “You must never forget that.”

“The last baby wasn’t an accident, was it? Mum was on the pill. She told me when we had that talk,” she said.

“No, it wasn’t. But, Lucy, listen. I would have loved him or her all the same.”

“Mum betrayed you.”

“Lucy,” he began. No matter his feelings about Rita’s selfishness, he didn’t want any of the bairns to think less of her. And Lucy was too clever for her own good sometimes.

“I’m sorry she hurt you so much.” She gave him her box. “I don’t want it.”

“Please don’t tell the wee ones,” he said.

“I won’t. And I’ve changed my mind about her diaries. I don’t want to read them.”

He pursed his lips, his nose itchy again. “All right.”


	21. Twenty

Twenty

“An Uggsomegaut?”

“I’m afraid so,” Rose said over the phone.

Dave blinked and ran his free hand over his face. The fact that the mythical creatures actually existed still baffled him, but it also filled him with more terror than ever. He now knew that his mother had died of its bite. “Can’t they _contain_ it without your help?” he asked.

“‘fraid not,” she said.

“God, Rose. I don’t like it one bit,” he said.

There was a moment’s pause. “I know, my love. I don’t like it either. It’s not as if I don’t have something better to do better to do. My dress still needs sorting, and the flowers, and—”

“Rose,” he said, incredulous. “Are ye serious?”

“Yeah,” she said, sounding it.

He didn’t know what to say.

“Dave?”

“Please don’t go hunting for it, Rose. I beg of you. Don’t.”

“I must, Dave,” she said. “I can’t send Jake by himself. Mickey got food poisoning, and neither of the doctors have the proper training,” Rose explained.

“Then train them!” he cried.

“We’re sending them on more courses than we’d normally do, Dave, soon they’ll be able to go on ops like this. But right now, Donna needs to look after Lily, and we need Dominic ready at The Priory,” she said. “Just in case.”

“You’re not making this any easier, Rose.” He pictured Rose in the Infirmary’s ICU, delirious as she suffered from Uggsomegaut poisoning.

“I know, my love. I’m not happy either.”

“Not happy!?” he cried.

Ewan popped in from the kitchen, where the bairns were working on something for the wedding with Lottie. “Dad?”

“Sorry, mate,” he said, taking a deep breath. “It’s all right, nothing to worry about.”

Ewan frowned but returned to the kitchen.

“Not happy?” he repeated.

“It’s a perfectly normal operation. It’s my job, Dave. I’ve learned how to deal with them,” she said reasonably.

He sat on the chaise longue, cupping his forehead in his palm. “How many of them have you… killed?”

“None. We don’t kill them, Dave. We sedate them and take them back to a reserve.”

“How many?” he insisted.

“Three.”

He sighed. “That doesn't exactly add up to years of experience, does it?”

“There isn’t anyone with more experience, remember? Until a few years ago even we thought they were the stuff of nightmares,” Rose said gently. “We are the best for the job, and I’ve worked all but one of these cases. I promise I’ll be extra careful this time.”

“I still don’t like it.”

“I know. I don’t like it either, but it has to be done. I love you,” she said.

“I love you too. Be careful, eh?” he said, and ended the conversation after she’d given him another promise.

“Are you angry with Rose after all?” Evie asked when he walked into the kitchen on autopilot.

“No, love, I’m not angry at her. Just a wee bit worried. I’m sorry for startling you,” he said, surveying their handiwork. They were working with some kind of art clay and a set of cookie cutters.

“Are these your fabulous Christmas biscuits?” he asked Lottie.

She laughed. “No, these are not edible, but we’re going to make some later. You can join us then. This is supposed to be secret,” she said.

That explained the glare the bairns had given him. “Oh, sorry. I’ll be in the lounge if anyone needs me,” he said.

“What’s wrong with Rose?” Paul asked as he was about to leave. Dave did his best to keep his eye on his son rather than the table.

“She has to work a case.”

“What, today?” Lottie asked. “She was supposed to have her dress fitted.”

“Aye. It’s an emergency.”

“What kind of emergency?” Evie asked, her eyes as round as the cookie cutter she was holding.

“Uggsomegaut,” he said.

Ewan snorted. “Aye, right.”

Dave grinned and left. The longer the bairns believed the Uggsomegauts were mythical, and that Father Christmas was real, the better.

-:-

When Dave tried to contact Rose that evening and the next day he was rerouted to Annie, Torchwood’s receptionist, or to Mickey, who sounded like he’d caught the worst cold ever. “Has she been out there all night?” he asked in alarm when he called in the morning, while Lottie was walking Evie to school.

“It turns out to be a bit more complicated than we’d thought, but they are not in any danger, Dave. They’re wearing especially well-insulated clothes. It’s a material that isn’t available to the general public yet,” Annie assured him.

“Are you in touch with them?” he asked.

“Yes. They call in hourly to give a status report, and they’ll let us know immediately if they make eye contact,” she said. “Look, I’m under instructions to tell you the truth about the op. And this is it. Rose insisted that you know everything. I’ll call you when she gets in touch about the Uggsomegaut.”

Dave sighed, running a hand over his face. “Aye, thanks. It’s just… I’m worried, and. Well.”

“The wedding doesn’t help, does it? I’m so happy for you, Dave,” Annie said warmly.

“Thanks. I’ll try to be more patient,” he said. _And trust Rose a bit more, which isn’t so easy._ He felt horrible for the thought because Rose had never given him any reason not to trust her, but the recent revelations had left him a little paranoid.

He ended the call and stared at the charcoal suit and the sand-coloured tie hanging on the hook on the wall. Below it sat a pair of new, tan brogues. The dress shirt was still at the dry cleaner’s and needed to be picked up later.

Hadn’t Rose had a fitting for her dress yesterday? How was she going to manage that with the op? There wasn’t much time left, it was Tuesday already.

He opened the drawer of his bedside table and took out the box holding their rings. He’d picked them up yesterday, but he’d promised Rose not to look at the inscription in his ring. So he pulled out hers and brushed his thumb over the small stone set into the white gold before he read the engraved words.

Dave couldn’t believe they were getting married.

His phone rang.

“Hello, sweetheart!” It was Jackie. He’d completely forgotten about the Tylers.

“Oh, hello, Jackie. How are you?”

“A bit tired, we took the first flight this morning. We’re settling in at the hotel as we speak,” she said cheerfully.

“You should have said. I’d have picked you up at the airport,” he said.

“Nah, you’ve got enough on your hands this morning, what with the kids and everything. And Rose, of course. I can’t believe she’s on an op right now,” Jackie said with mild exasperation. “One would think she’s got better things to do than mucking about in the dirt.”

Dave laughed, and although Jackie was absolutely right, her indignation helped him relax. “I’m sure she’ll be back in time for the wedding,” he said. “Although she did mention something about a dress fitting.” He couldn’t help his thoughts returning repeatedly to her dress. He had no idea what she was going to wear, but he knew that his suit matched her dress. Since it was only an intimate ceremony at the registrar’s they didn’t want to bother with a black suit and a traditional white wedding dress. He doubted, based on experience, that even Rose would have been able to come by a proper white wedding dress in that short amount of time.

“Yeah, I’m taking care of that, don’t you worry about it, sweetheart,” Jackie said. “I can’t believe my little Rose is getting married tomorrow.”

“It is a bit surreal, aye.”

“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

“None whatsoever.”

“We’d like to meet up with you. Have you planned anything for lunch?”

“Nothing apart from a quick sandwich since we have dinner plans,” he said. They were going to a small, family-friendly pub that night. The wedding party was to take place at Tony’s. Bertie was going to close the small restaurant for the day so they could celebrate undisturbed. After going through the list of people they wanted to invite for the celebration they’d realised that they were going to be a larger group than anticipated. Not all of them would be at the town hall for the ceremony, since space there was limited. It was just as well. It was their wedding, and they wanted to share it with their closest friends and loved ones.

His friend Sean Sansom was going to take the photos. Shooting society events and weddings were his specialty, so Dave trusted him to do a great job with his wedding. Besides, he wanted to have him there because if it hadn’t been for Sean he might not have met Rose again after she’d returned his bike jacket.

Just as he’d gotten off the phone with Jackie, his mobile rang. It was Annie.

His heart started thumping in his chest.

“Rose sends her love. They’ve got the beast and she’s fine but muddy and tired. She’s in the shower, then she has an appointment at the beautician, and after that she’ll take a nap and join you for dinner,” Annie said, clearly working the items off a list.

 _In other words, Rose is asking me not to bother her until dinner._ “Perfect, Annie. Thank you so much,” he said, relieved. “And sorry for being such a bother.”

“Don’t worry, Dave, I’m glad to help. Have a lovely day tomorrow, and a great honeymoon with lots of sex. Where are you going?”

Dave blushed slightly. “Nothing fancy. We’re going to a small place in the Trossachs for the night.”

“Just one night?”

“We can’t go away for much longer,” Dave said. “The bairns have to go to school, and we’re remodelling the house. Houses.”

“Yeah, Rose told me about it. That architect she asked me about, I’ve got an email here from him. I’ll forward it to you.”

“Thanks, Annie, you’re a treasure.” He’d give a kingdom for a PA like her.

-:-

“Where’s Sarah?” Rose asked when all but one seat was taken at their table in the dining area of the pub. Dave’s gaze followed hers as it wandered around the table.

“Shit,” he said.

“Daddy!” Evie cried in horror, but giggled with mirth when she drew a breath. She found his slip-ups hilarious.

“I didn’t say that.”

“I seem to have forgotten to tell Sarah,” he said sheepishly.

Rose stared at him. “You mean about tonight?” she asked to make absolutely sure, but from her tone he could tell that she had a fair idea of what he was going to say next.

“About tomorrow, too. I totally forgot to ask her,” he said. “Oh God, what am I going to do?”

Rose slid her hand to his right trouser pocket, where he carried his phone, and kissed him soundly. For a few horrifying moments he thought her hand was going to wander. “Go and call her. Now. I’m sure she won’t say no.”

“Did you talk to her?” he squeaked.

“No, I was crawling about in the brambles, looking for the beast,” she said. She still looked tired, and there was a heaviness to her limbs that made him want to tuck her into bed and curl up with her under the covers. But she’d already told him that she was going to spend the night at her own place so she could get enough rest. He pouted at the idea, but he saw the wisdom behind it. Besides, she didn’t want to see him until she was dolled up and ready for the ceremony.

“Aye,” he said, a little dazed when she let go of him. He reached for his phone and left the room in search of a quiet place so he could call Sarah.

“Hey, love,” she said. “How are you?”

“Embarrassed,” he said.

“Why’s that?” He could hear cooking noises in the background. Shit.

“Because I was supposed to ask you to join us in the pub for an extended family dinner tonight.”

“Oh, I’m cooking dinner,” she said.

“Aye, I can hear,” he sighed. “Look, would you be able to join us for an after-dinner drink at the pub? I have something important to discuss with you.” He consulted his watch. It was too late now to call the school so she could take the day off tomorrow. He really had bollixed this one up.

“Sounds serious.”

“It is, aye, but it’s nothing bad,” he hastened to add.

“All right then, I’ll just finish this. I’ll put it in the fridge for later. I hate it when I’m the only one who isn’t eating. I’ll be there in half an hour. Is that all right?”

“Perfect. We’ll wait with the food.”

“Don’t bother. Order some lovely pasta for me, please,” she said. “I’m starving.”

He laughed and rang off, relieved that she was willing to so readily changed her plans and that she was at home in the first place. Now she’d only have to say yes.

Dave waited for her outside, despite the cold. It was a lovely, clear night, and he watched his breath form little clouds while a few metres away, the smokers produced other clouds in the warmth of the patio heater. He was just debating whether to join them to take advantage of the heat when he saw Sarah pull into the car park and went to join her.

“Hi,” he said.

“So, what’s so important?” she asked.

There was no delicate way of putting this. He needed to get it out, and soon, because everyone was expecting them inside. He took a deep breath. “Rose and I are getting married tomorrow,” he said.

Sarah stared at him. “You’re joking.”

He shook his head.

“Why am I the last to know?” she asked, wrapping her arms around herself, more for composure than anything else.

Dave launched into a quick explanation, which he ended with an explosion of sorries. “I completely fucked this up, I know.” He realised he might have just complicated this terribly. Sarah would want to know more about the baby.

But she started somewhere else, breaking down his defences. “You want me to be your best man and you _forget_ to tell me about it?”

He shrugged helplessly.

Sarah sighed and smiled a lopsided smile she must have perfected for misbehaving little boys. “Of course I’ll be your best man. If you want me, that is.”

“What? Why, of course I want you. It’s why you’re here, isnae it?”

She rested her hand on his chest. “Anna called me the other day.”

Dave slumped inwardly. “What did she tell you?”

“She told me what happened. About the baby.” 

_So that’s why she’s accepted my explanation so quickly._ He shivered. The cold sneaked into the pit of his stomach, adding to the queasiness of hunger. Only now he wasn’t hungry any more. “You knew.”

“Not knew as such, but Rita told me the day before the accident that she wanted another baby. She wanted us to get pregnant together,” Sarah said.

Dave blinked.

“I didn’t know she was already pregnant when we were talking. I suppose she was testing the waters, and I didn’t take her seriously because…” Sarah faltered. She looked away, in search of the right words. Then she found them. “Is it true that she didn’t even ask you?”

He nodded his head minutely. The cold coiled around his heart, and he found it difficult to breathe.

“Here, sit down, Dave,” Sarah said, guiding him to one of the abandoned picnic benches. He sat and tucked his head between his knees, shielding himself with his arms. He took a few deep, slow breaths. This couldn’t be true. Was he really supposed to be the last to learn about the baby?

Sarah’s palm drew soothing circles on his back. “I’m so sorry, Dave.” Her voice sounded teary, and when he looked up and her eyes were moist.

“Daddy?” Evie cried, looking for him. She ran over when she spotted them. “Dinner’s ready! Come inside.”

“In a minute sweetheart,” he said.

“Hi, Sarah!” she said.

“Hello, Evie,” she said, crouching to hug his daughter. Blinking away tears, she picked her up and sat her on her hip. “Oof, you’re getting too big for this.”

“I thought you weren’t coming, but you’re Daddy’s best man,” Evie pointed out.

“Yeah, I am.” She looked at Dave.

There was no doubt about it. He refused to allow Rita’s secrecy to come in between them. Besides, Sarah hadn’t known Rita was serious. Such a unilateral decision as Rita’s could only be a joke, a joke even her best friend had misunderstood.

He touched Sarah’s shoulder in reassurance and kissed Evie’s cheek as they went inside. He nodded, whispering, “Of course you are.”

-:-

“Ye have to eat something,” Murray said, almost indignant, but mostly desperate. “Ye’ve done this before.”

“Aye, but this time it’s forever. I know it, Dad,” Dave said, pushing the plate of toast away. The jam looked strange. He wrapped his fingers around his mug instead.

“Good morning, everyone!” Sarah said as she entered the kitchen. “Oh dear, Dave, you don’t have food poisoning, do you?”

“No,” he grumbled.

“You look like you’re going to throw up any moment,” she said.

“I might do just that. At least then I’ll feel better,” he said, sipping his tea. His fingers were shaking as he lifted the mug to his lips.

“Nerves,” Holly said. “If Rose were here I’d tell her to kiss you properly. I think she could do with a kiss right now too.”

“Not seeing each other before the wedding is just _glaikit,_ ” Dave grumbled.

“I think it’s a good idea, what with the children,” Holly said.

“What about them?” he looked at her in alarm.

“They’re fine. A bit excited,” Holly smiled. “I’d better see if I can help Lottie.”

“Would you mind?” Murray asked Sarah.

She shook her head and went to find the others.

“So. How are ye really feeling?” Murray asked him.

“I don’t know, Dad. Happy. Scared. Puzzled.”

“What about?”

“That Rose would want us. She’s marrying a family today,” he said, chewing the inside of his cheek. He looked at his jacket, which was draped carefully over the back of the chair. His fingers went to the knot of his tie to check if was neatly in place. He wasn’t used to wearing ties. Surely, the tightness in his throat was just in his head.

“I wish Agnes were here. She’d love Rose. She’s a good lass,” Murray said, beating his fingers away to adjust the tie. Dave lifted his chin to grant him access.

“I miss her,” Dave said.

“Rita?”

“Aye, though sometimes I’m not so sure. But I was talking about Mum,” Dave said.

“I’d like Rose to have these,” Murray said, reaching across the counter for a slim red box. Dave new what was in them. His mother’s pearls. “Agnes would want her to have them.”

He stared at his father. “Dad.”

“Too much? I’m only her father-in-law.”

And he hadn’t offered them Michelle. “Why don’t you give them to her yourself? She’d appreciate that. Besides, I have something of my own for her,” he said.

Murray looked at him searchingly. “All right then.”

Before they knew it, it was time to get in the cars and go to the town hall. Dave’s nervousness was even worse, and once or twice he was tempted to tell Sarah to pull over.

Surprisingly, she did so on her own. She was blocking an entry, but she didn’t care. “Here. Eat this. Don’t worry about your lipstick, just make sure to brush off the crumbs.” She reached into her handbag, which she’d deposited in the foot well on his side, and pulled out a paper bag. Inside was a fluffy, buttery croissant.

“Ye’re a saint,” he said, grinning. He bit into the croissant. “Have ye got the rings?”

“Of course I do.”

“How did ye manage to get the day off?” he asked in between bites. They were nearly there, but Sarah was driving as slowly as possible without pissing off the other drivers.

“Food poisoning,” she said, shrugging.

“You’re skiving off?”

“It’s not my fault my best friend decided on a shotgun wedding.”

“It’s nae shotgun wedding,” he scoffed.

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.”

The Tylers with a why were already at the town hall when they arrived. He completely ignored everyone else as soon as his eyes settled on Rose. He probably said hello to people, and answered their questions, but he was on autopilot. All he saw was Rose in a narrow, tan dress with white and black polka dots of varying sizes scattered on the dress as if someone had accidentally splattered the material. It was soft and flowing, with a black bow around her midriff and a simple, high neckline. She’d arranged her hair in a messy bun, just the way he loved it.

“Rose,” he said softly to catch her attention.

She finally looked at him, her smile freezing on her face for a moment, but then she really looked at him and her smile turned into the one she had only for him.

“Shall we?” he asked, holding her hand out for her.

Adjusting her grip on the bouquet of white roses, she took it. “Yes, let’s.”

Fin


End file.
